The Petite Rebel
by Shinigami Hilde
Summary: Hilde is kidnapped-and we discover her orgins...When did the White Fang resurface and what does it have to do with all of this? And where the hell is Dorothy?
1. The Return of a Bad Past

The Petite Rebel

AN: Ok, first disclaimer, no I don't own _any_ of the characters in this fic, (Except Rodney Lewis, he is mine.) if I did I would be a rich happy girl and be Japanese living in some fancy apartment in Tokyo, but I'm not so there. Secondly, this fic is rated PG-13, for language and violence. No, it's not a Lemon I suck at writing those, ^^;; sorry. Next this is not an AU exactly, but the story is meant to physically change the main character, so keep that in mind. Other than that, uh-I wouldn't mind comments on it-please tell me what you think. Have fun!

By: Shinigami Hilde

"The Petite Rebel"

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Chapter one: The Return of A Bad Past

The year is After Colony 196. It is a new age of discovery, an age where scientists play with the human body instead of machines. Cloning techniques are being discovered and new ways to alter the genes of a person, to make them ultra humans. The first to try out these new altered forms were ex-soldiers from the past war, especially those soldiers who had been traitorous to the different army factions. And they were forced into it, against their will.

Hilde Schibecker was one of the very first in the experimentations for these reasons. Duo had been out that day, and the day would change Hilde for the rest of her life. She would never be the same; neither would Duo.

~*~

Hilde was working on a car in the garage she and Duo owned on L2. Her head was pushed far under the hood of the old Chevy trying to figure out why the hell it wouldn't start.

"Fuck it all!" She cried banging her head as she tried to stand. "That was the smallest we had...Well what do I do now?" She groaned and slammed the hood down grabbing a towel and wiping off the grease from the car onto it. "Well it looks like Mr. Powler will have to wait for his car to be finished. -Duo?" She put the towel down and went into the house to find Duo hard at work fixing the stove.

Duo looked up from behind the stove with stove grease covered his face and an apron on. "What babe?" He asked.

"When does the new merchandise come in? I need a new belt for Mr. Powler's old Chevy, and all the ones we have are too big." She explained.

Duo scratched his head and sat back. "Ya know what? I don't know. I sent out for them a few weeks ago. They should have been here by now."

"Screw the UPS system up here! It is so beyond slow, it's not even funny." Hilde huffed as she stormed out of the kitchen and to her room down the hall.

"Well you know most of the parts are coming from Earth, Hilde." Duo called out. "Stuff from Earth usually gets lost in the mail on its way here."

Hilde snorted and yanked off her tight jeans and was-white-but-is-now-brown-with-grease t-shirt as well as her kerchief off her slight body and stormed out down the hall to the bathroom for a shower. "That's a load a bull, Duo, and you know it!" She called and started the water running.

In the kitchen Duo chuckled to himself and continued fixing their busted stove, knowing full well if he didn't there wouldn't be any dinner tonight. He hummed some little song he remembered from the war days until the phone rang. Duo pulled himself out from the behind the stove and washed his hands off. *RING*

"All right! I'm coming, whoever you are, and keep your pants on." He said and picked up the phone. "L2 Garage, Duo speaking, how may I help you?"

"Mr. Maxwell, is Miss Schibecker at home?" Came the voice on the other end. Duo didn't like its tone, but who was he to keep Hilde from phone calls?

"Yes..." He responded at length.

"May I speak with her please? This will take but a moment." Said the man.

"She's busy right now..."Duo responded not trusting this guy for some reason. Call it gut instinct.

"Doing what?" The voice prodded.

'Nosey little fucker, aren't you?' Duo thought. "I'm not at liberty to say Mr...."

"Lewis, Mr. Maxwell. Rodney Lewis." He answered Duo's unasked question.

"Mr. Lewis..." Duo finished.

"Is that so?" Lewis asked. "Well this is of the utmost importance, so either stop her from doing it or I'll wait."

"You're going to have to wait then." Duo half snarled. "Better yet, call back later." And with that he hung up the phone and stared at the floor with his hand still on it's receiver, eyes shadowed in thought. 'I didn't like the way that guy sounded.' He thought to himself. 'What does he want with Hilde? Does Hilde know him?'

His thoughts were interrupted by the garish voice of Hilde behind him. "Who was on the phone Duo?" She asked.

Duo spun around to face her, and immediately blushed a bit. She stood in a deep rose towel wrapped about her small frame, attempting to keep her turban of another towel on her head of navy-blue-black hair that was soaking wet. He regained his composure. "Someone for you, but you were in the shower so I told him to call back." He informed her. She walked past him and to the fridge as he continued. "But, to tell ya the truth babe, I hope he doesn't call back...I didn't like him at all...he freaked me out."

"That's sweet Duo, but I can take care of my phone calls. What was his name?" She asked pulling out a kiwi and sitting on the counter.

"Rodney Lewis...said it was of the utmost importance he spoke with you. And I tell ya he was one nosey ass. Do you know him Hilde? Old fling maybe?" He asked his face grimacing somewhat at the thought of an old boyfriend calling Hilde.

Hilde's face squinched up a bit in recollection. "No..." She answered at last. "I don't recall any Rodney Lewis-ever...I wonder what he wanted."

Duo let out a little tiny gasp of relief that was quickly squelched when her words registered. "You never, ever heard of him?" He asked.

Hilde shook her head. "Nope, don't remember him at all." She hopped off the counter and headed to her room to change into clothes.

Duo bit his lip. 'I don't like this at all...' He thought and went back to the stove.

Hilde changed into her clothes and sat down on her bed with wide eyes. 'What does he want from me now?' She thought. 'I thought I was done with him when training for Oz ended! I almost lost it back in the kitchen. I don't want Duo worrying about it. Shit.' She got up and headed back out to the kitchen. "Duo you almost finished with that? It's nearing time for me to start dinner and it won't be ready in time if that thing isn't fixed." She warned.

"Almost Hilde-babe! Just one more tweak here and..." There was a slight explosion and a howl from Duo.

"Duo?!" Hilde yelled and hurried into the kitchen. "Duo are you ok?" She pulled Duo out from behind the stove, where he sat nursing his burnt fingers with his mouth.

"Thwat huwrt..." He stated plainly four fingers shoved in his mouth.

Hilde laughed a little bit. "I bet it did. Come on, let's go into the bathroom and get you fixed up. Then I'll see if this thing works." She indicated the stove and helped Duo to the bathroom.

Hilde sat Duo down on the toilet seat and climbed up to the upper shelves to retrieve burn cream for his fingers when the phone rang again. "Oh wonderful. That thing picks the most inconvenient times to ring doesn't it?" Hilde said and applied the cream to Duo's fingers.

Duo laughed a little. "You know it. It's out to get us, didn't you know?" 

Hilde chuckled some and wrapped up Duo's fingers. "Keep this on for about three days and they should be better then."

"THREE DAYS?" Duo hollered. "I can't work without my hands Hildey! You know that!" He protested.

"Sorry Duo, but you burned your fingers...I'll just have to take care of everything for three days, I'm pretty sure I can handle it. You can do things like shopping still though." She smirked at him and Duo face faulted-and the phone continued to ring.

"Oh all right...but if you get hurt-" Duo began.

"I won't get hurt Duo--Damn! Don't people ever give up? We don't want any..." She grumbled as the phone rang practically off its hook. She left Duo in the bathroom and went to the kitchen to pick it up, at least to stop the ringing. Duo timidly followed continuing to nurse his now bandaged fingers. 

"Hello? L2 Garage, Hilde speaking." She said rather gruffly. Then Duo watched as her eyes got wide. "Oh it's [i]_you[/i]_." She growled. "What do you want? I thought I'd done with you a long time ago." 

Duo quirked a brow at this.

"Really now? Well I'm sorry, no. I won't do it." She said into the receiver. "No! You can't make me do that!----I don't care! I have a life now and you are not going to ruin it for me!---No... Good bye!" She slammed the phone down and turned startled to find Duo there. "Oi-Duo you nearly gave me a heart attack! Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Hilde? Is everything all right? What's wrong? That phone call made you upset." Duo asked gently. 

Hilde snorted. "It's nothing Duo..." She turned her head away. "Don't worry about it-"

"But I will worry, your my best friend Hilde, I can't just go and ignore something that makes you upset. Was it that Rodney guy?" Duo prodded.

Hilde's head shot up at that, and then she regained herself and plastered on her fake smile. "No Duo, don't worry about it! Now get out of the kitchen so I can make dinner!" She smiled and shooed Duo out of the kitchen. When he was fully out of sight she collapsed across the stove and heaved a choked sigh. His reasons for wanting her were not sound. But there was nothing she could do but run, and even that she couldn't do forever. She recomposed herself and started to make the dinner, making plans to run away as soon as possible. Little did she know it wouldn't be soon enough.

~*~

"Bye Duo! Come back with groceries soon!" Hilde waved from the door as Duo went off to the grocery store. 

He really did not like the idea of leaving Hilde alone right now. And the battle he had just lost with her ran through his head over and over:

* "Duo, we need groceries. Could you go and get them for me? We'll have customers soon so I'll have to stay behind." She smiled lightly.

Duo looked up at her. "Hilde-after last night I really don't think I should leave you alone right now...I really didn't trust that guy who called." 

Hilde had just smirked at him. "Really Duo, I'll be fine by myself, you're just making that up because you don't think I can handle the garage by myself."

Duo smiled a little. "That's only half of it. I'm serious Hilde-I did not trust that dude."

"I'll be fine Duo! Trust me. You have to get groceries though or we won't be eating. And I can't go because I have to stay and take care of our customers and you can't stay and work because your hands are busted up." She had retorted. * After which she had bodily pushed him through the door with the credits and sent him off to the store. He looked back at the house, but she wasn't in the doorway anymore, so he just hoped and prayed she would be ok and still alive when he got back.

~*~

Inside Hilde sat on the couch and thought about Mr. Lewis and what he had said to her. She was told because she was a perfect specimen with military records behind her she was going to be used for genetic experimentation in the labs back on Earth. She had no choice in it what so ever. It was also the punishment she had been denied so long ago for rebelling against the Oz and White Fang factions during the war. They had found her and they were going to use her. She had also been told that she was designed to be able to take the genetic experiments, along with two other children like herself, but seeing as she was the first found, she would be the first used. And there was nothing she could do to stop them.

Just as Hilde finished this thought a knocking came at the door. She slowly rose not wanting to answer. Maybe if she didn't they'd go away and think no one was home. But if it was a customer...Oh how she hated ethics. The knocking came again, louder and harsher this time.

"Hilde Schibecker! We know you're in there! There's no escape for you-you know your destiny and what you must do! So come out quietly and no harm will come." Came the voice of Rodney Lewis.

Hilde froze. She didn't expect them to be here that quickly! She had no time to prepare and run!

"Hilderine..." Her full name seeped out of the man's lips as the door opened and before her stood a tall man wearing a white suit and white dress hat. "We have the house surrounded girl. There is no escaping this. You will be the first drone to fall to these experiments. You will become the Ultimate Soldier. Even more skilled and trained then that of Heero Yuy. And with you we will have the Colonies rule the Earth again, but it is not possible without a drone to undergo our procedures."

Hilde fell backward. "N-no! Rodney, you can't take me! I was through with you when the training sessions for Oz were terminated! We all were! Leave-I have a better life now, we all do!" 

Rodney did not pay her any heed however. With a snap of his fingers troops wearing blood red uniforms entered and took Hilde and tied her up by force. There was a tremendous struggle as she attempted to evade them. They eventually won over in the end, numbers overriding the power of one person. She was brought before Rodney and he lifted her chin forcefully, looking straight into her cornflower blue eyes, while hers burned a hole of hatred through his, her brow furrowed deep, with a snarl of indignation on her lips.

Rodney laughed as he held her head there. "My, my. You have grown quite a bit stronger haven't you Hilderine." He said.

"My name is _Hilde_." She hissed.

"Mmm, yes. Able to keep off a troop of men for a good ten minutes. Yes you're much stronger, all the more perfect for our little program. Well my petite rebel; now you will be reconciled for being a traitor to Oz, White Fang and the infamous Romefellar foundation as well as help us regain control over the Earth sphere. Kind of ironic if you think about it wouldn't you say?" He said in a smug voice.

Hilde spat in his face at that.

He flinched and dropped her chin smacking her as he wiped the phlegm off his eye. "That is unacceptable. But you will learn, because when we're through with you, you will be the ultimately perfect soldier. You will have no recollection of any of this previous life. You will be re-taught and won't remember this at all. You won't remember this house, this business, or your friends, lovers, fake-family or this day. It'll all be a dream to you." He hissed at her.

Her eyes grew wide. "No-You-you wouldn't! You can't!" She spluttered.

"Oh but we can, will and have to, to make you the ultimate soldier. And as I said, even the great Heero Yuy will not be able to beat you." He said.

"How do you know Heero Yuy?!" She demanded to know.

He grinned maliciously. "That is not something you need to know. It is irrelevant and will be even more so when we have changed you. -Take her away." With that he pointed to the door and the black Sedan that was parked just outside.

And Hilde went, not with out fighting back, but to no avail. They sedated her once inside the car and for the time being Hilde knew no more.

~*~ Chap. 1 fin.~*~


	2. Old Comerades Reunited and Gene Spilcing

Chapter Two: Old Comrades Reunited and Gene Splicing

Duo came back a couple hours later with groceries stacked up ready to take them in. When he entered the house and yelled out that he was home, what he saw led to the immediate reaction of dropping everything he had been carrying and staring. "Oh no…" He left the bag on the floor to frantically search the house for his best friend. 

The house was a complete disaster area, obvious signs of a huge struggle. The couch was turned over, books were on the floor-scattered paper was covering the place, a few chairs were broken and pictures had fallen off their hooks.

"Hilde? Are you here?! Hilde answer me! Where are you babe? Please-don't go playing games on me, not now! Where are you?!" He searched the house twice over before he gave up and collapsed on the floor in a tired heap. "Damn-Damn it!" He didn't know what to do from here. He'd searched the house thoroughly. He then remembered the Lewis guy. "Fuck! I bet he has her! I knew I should have followed my gut instinct! Oh shit, shit, shit! I'm gonna need help on this one...I knew that name sounded vaguely familiar...he was out to get her...Shit! I gotta call Heero!" Duo was up and at the phone in a matter of fluid seconds.

"Come on you stoic fucker-pick up that cell phone..." He growled at the phone.

A few seconds later the familiar monotone voice of Heero Yuy answered in somewhat static filled waves. "What do you want, Duo?" He asked.

Duo jumped back a couple feet. "Heey! How'd you know it was me?" He asked.

"It's a new invention Duo, caller ID, ever heard of it?" Heero answered him flatly.

Duo slapped his forehead. "Yeah, whatever...anyway...I called you because Hilde is missing! She got these weird calls the other night and they made her totally upset, I tried to ask her about them but she wouldn't tell me anything. I had a very bad feeling about them and I think I was right. I went out to get groceries this morning and when I came home I found the house a total disaster area and Hilde was missing. I searched the place twice over and finally resolved to call you for help. God alone knows where she is-or what people are doing to her..." He spazzed out and sat in a huff on the floor after relinquishing his short lived story to Heero, in one breath, as only Duo could do.

Heero on the other end was silent for a little bit, till he answered quite unnoticeably, unless you knew him, with a simple: "Did you try looking anywhere other then the house?"

Duo sat up abruptly. "Where would she go other then the house when she said she'd be home the whole time? And why leave the house in shambles when it was pristine when I left?"

"Wait-wait a second-you went grocery shopping?" Heero asked somewhat dumbfounded.

"He-ero!" Duo cried out.

"All right, all right...Sorry Duo. Do you think the strange caller will call again?" He asked.

"I have no idea...No-no idea..." Duo stumbled slightly over his words.

"Was the stranger the last person who called?" Heero tried again, sounding somewhat aggravated.

Duo sat and thought. "Yes...he was." He related.

"Now we get somewhere." 

"I also remember the guy's name if that's any help." 

"It depends...he might have given out a fake alias to cover up, but what was it anyway?"

"Rodney Lewis."

Heero went dead silent at that given name.

"Heero? -Heero-what's the matter? Do you recognize the name? Is Hilde-"

Heero interrupted him. "Duo-Hilde is in a lot of trouble...I'm coming to L2 as soon as possible...This is bigger than I thought."

"That's nice to know! My best friend is missing and it isn't such a big deal-tell you about the reason I think she's missing and suddenly it's a problem! You're real good." Duo growled.

"Duo shut up and listen to me." Heero suddenly had a commandeering tone to his voice. "This is a big problem...I've heard of Lewis, and there's no time to explain now-I'll have to call the others and we will all rendezvous at the L2 space port at 0300 hours, got that? If he has Hilde like you suspect the whole fragile peace Relena has worked so hard to strive for will be shattered very easily. Now get yourself ready." And with that he hung up on Duo, who sat there dumbfounded. But knowing Heero through and through he followed the boy's instructions and prepared to meet the rest of the pilots at the L2 spaceport in five hours, not without worrying about Hilde.

~*~

She woke up in a cold cell. Why not? She expected nothing less from old army factions looking to destroy Queen Relena's long sought after peace. She rolled over onto her backside to find she was chained to the walls of the imprisonment. "Shit...well this will make it more difficult won't it now?" She mumbled to herself. She found rather quickly she couldn't stand up, let alone sit up. She was strapped to the cot in her cell. Not very pleasant from her prospective. "Ow!" She cried out as some of the springs pinched at her lower back. This was beginning to feel like a bad trip to the doctor's all of a sudden, because just as she was beginning to get uncomfortable-there was a man leaning over her wearing a white doctor trench coat. She scowled. "What do _you_ want?" She hissed. The man said nothing to her, and proceeded to prod at her body in all sorts of spots, not paying any heed to her, just poking and prodding like she wasn't there and not human. "Hey, hey! Get off me you dickless bitch!" She yelled but got cut off because he drove his fingers into her mouth to examine her teeth and such. She bit him. Amazingly enough he ignored that and turned to someone beyond the cell she hadn't and could not see.

"This one is a perfect specimen for our tests. She is in perfect health and amazing shape, I suggest you use her for your first experiments. The Commander will be pleased." He took off the latex rubber gloves he'd had on and moved out of the lights way. She heard a low chuckle and the familiar voice of her captor.

"I knew she would be. She was-always perfect with that sort of thing. Her mind is beyond belief as well when she trained here she aced all her IQ tests. She's a genius. That and her military history helped me choose her for these experiments." Hilde made an ugly face as he came near to her to look her in the face. 

"Your not using me for '_tests'_, Rodney. I'm not one of your little lab rats anymore!" She hissed at him.

"Now, now Hilderine, my dear-"

"Hilde!" She screamed, correcting him.

"You belong to me. You always have. I made you-you know that, you were built for these tests." He answered with a smile. She growled at him and spat in his face.

"I do not belong to anyone." She said slowly and dangerously.

Rodney wiped his face of her spit, and turned to the 'doctor'. "Heh, heh did I mention she had spunk?" He said. "I want to start immediately. Bring her in as soon as possible." He said and began to walk away.

"Rodney!" Hilde yelled at him. He turned slightly to her. "What do you plan to do with me now?" She asked in a dead monotone voice.

"You my dear are going to be the first test subject to create the ultimate soldier on our lovely and fair Commander's orders. Better than that of Heero Yuy and you are going to win back for us what the colony's lost. Along with others of your kind. But feel honored-your the guinea pig." He chuckled again and disappeared. The doctor injected her with something else. It made her loose consciousness again, the next time she woke up, she wouldn't be 'Hilde' anymore.

~*~

Duo arrived at the spaceport on time and searched around for the five familiar faces of his fellow pilots. Quatre was the first to spot him he came running over calling his name till Duo turned and acknowledged him. "Duo! Oh Duo I heard the news! I'm sorry..." He said in his cute voice.

Duo just blinked and fidgeted. "Yeah..." He said quietly. 

Trowa and Wufei came up next. "Well we're all here, where's the great leader? This better be as bad as he says. I left Sally to do my work in Preventers headquarters to come here." Wufei grumbled. Trowa shook his head at Wufei's remark.

"You still don't trust women do you Wufei?" Quatre asked him. Wufei scowled and made no further comment. 

Duo looked at Wufei. "No derogatory comments on women while we are on this mission, Wufei." He stated plaintively. "This mission consists of saving my best friend Hilde- whom you know is female. Got it?" 

Wufei said nothing to Duo as Heero arrived at last to join the little group. Trowa nodded at him in acknowledgement, Heero looked at him and made his curt nod. "Good, you're all here." Heero began. "I'll be quick and straight to the point. Duo has met up with another threat to the peace Relena has worked so hard to achieve, he didn't know he had but he was smart enough to call me, for once, and tell me so now we all know."

"That's a surprise." Wufei muttered. Duo gave him a cold stare.

"Shh Wufei-" Quatre hushed the pilot of 05 up and returned his attention back to Heero. "So what is the new threat?" He asked.

Heero looked around the small assembly of four boys and cleared his throat a bit. "The new threat is a scientist I had heard about just as the war ended. This scientist had taken up on the study of altering human genes to make them into no less then perfect soldiers to fight in the war. However his study was completed a little to late, because the war ended. But that didn't stop him. Some how he has taken it in that the colony's didn't get justice at the end of the war and he has taken up the study to use its effects on humans now to regain that 'justice' he believes the colony didn't receive. 

"He decided to use soldiers who had betrayed the factions he worked for, for his guinea pigs for the experiments, and it appears Duo's girl Hilde was a prime target for the experiments."

"Why Hilde?" Quatre asked, Duo raised his head to look at Heero now for an answer he didn't know and Hilde would not tell him.

"Because Hilde was part of Oz and White Fang, she betrayed both military factions and apparently had a perfect physical and mental record. Therefore she was the perfect choice specimen for these insane gene alterations." Heero answered. Duo bit his lip. Then this was mostly his fault! Hilde would not have betrayed Oz if not for him, and would not have joined White Fang if not for him! This was enough to make him want to take out his pistol and shoot himself through the head right there and then, but Quatre seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Duo-don't even go thinking this is your fault...It's not! Just focus on the fact that we'll be getting Hilde back for you." He said soothingly. 

Trowa put a hand on Duo's shoulder, and Duo looked up at the tall boy. He sighed slightly, and remained silent. Trowa on the other hand looked back at Heero and asked "what is this scientist's name?"

"His name is Rodney Lewis..." Heero responded quietly. As he said that name Trowa's eyes shot wide open and his jaw crept open just the slightest bit to gape at Heero as his mouth formed the two words. 

Wufei studied Trowa's features and the reaction speaking the name had caused. "Trowa," He said. "Do you know this man?"

Trowa nodded vaguely. "I do." He answered tersely. He did know him-he had been in the very training sessions in Oz that Hilde had been in, before he had began to work on the HeavyArms and gain the name of Trowa. "I never thought I would see or hear of the man again..." He said quietly as the other boys stared at him. 

"Hilde didn't think that either." Duo responded arching a brow at the tall quiet boy beside him. 

"How do you know who he is Trowa?" Quatre asked both his eyebrows arched. 

"By a strange turn of events-" Trowa said.

"Elaborate on them." Wufei said crossing his arms.

Trowa looked at Heero who had stayed silent through this. He knew that Heero had been in the training sessions as well. Heero nodded and affirmed that he knew that Trowa would remember. "I was in a training sequence in Oz-with Hilde and... Heero-and Rodney Lewis was a major part of it." The other three turned to Heero.

"You knew him too?" Quatre asked disbelievingly. Heero didn't respond.

"Y-you mean you both knew my Hilde before I even did?!" Duo asked with wide eyes. "Why didn't you ever tell me?!" 

"It was irrelevant at the time. It would have made things even more complicated had you known Duo." Heero said.

"Typical answer from you!" Duo hissed.

Wufei broke in before a fight could sprout. "Was this Lewis character working on these gene-altering studies while you were in these training sessions?"

Trowa nodded. "He was, Heero was his ultimate achievement at the time. Apparently he has upgraded his formula and Hilde was his next target." 

Heero nodded at Trowa. "Hilde was, and now he's got her and we have to stop him before he alters her-I don't know what they will do to make these alterations, but I do know it won't be good."

"Ya think?! We need to find her now!" Duo yelled at him.

"Don't go getting jumpy, Duo!" Heero growled. "We need a plan of attack and to find out _where_ she is!"

Wufei nodded. "He's right, we can't just go barging into any random place and ask if 'Rodney Lewis is here and does he have a girl named Hilde with him.'"

Duo growled quietly. "Ok, ok I get your point...So what do we do?"

"We have to get information on him and his latest whereabouts." Quatre said.

"Well duh!" Duo said. "But how?"

Trowa motioned his hands. "Don't you and Hilde own a salvage business with computers?" He asked quietly.

"Yes..." Duo said and slowly came to grasp why Trowa had asked. "Follow me..."

"He's getting smarter. Amazing." Wufei commented to no one in particular.

~*~

She hurt. Ok, she'd made one coherent thought. She hurt and she didn't know why. That's two. Could she make to three? She hurt; she didn't know why and-where the hell was she? Why was it so blindingly bright? She had made it to four and at that point opened her eyes to find out why it was so damn bright. She quickly shut them again. 

A few seconds later she opened her eyes again and blinked adjusting to the bright light that flooded wherever she was. She tried to sit up but found she couldn't. She hurt too much. Where was she? She couldn't remember anything at all! Nothing...It was all-blank...The last thing she remembered was...Waking up...Finding that bright light and thinking the four actually coherent thoughts...Hell she couldn't for the life of her remember her own name.

She tried sitting up again. She managed this time and put up her arm to shield her eyes from the light. She took the opportunity to look at her surroundings. She didn't, of course, recognize any of it. She found she was in a gray jumper and in a dull gray room with two doors. One was leading to a small bathroom and the other leading to the outside apparently. The one leading out was thick steel with a small barred window in the top of it. 

'Peachy, a cell.' She thought. 'Question is how'd I get here, why am I here, and who am I?' She stood up and groaned a bit at the pain that shot through her small frame. She meandered to the bathroom and stole a peep in the mirror. The face that stared back she did not recognize at all. She had figured she wouldn't, she couldn't even remember her own name. But some where in the recesses of her mind something registered that something had changed that she didn't look the way she had before. She ran her hand through her hair. Why did the color of it bug her so much? And her eyes...The color of them bugged her too.

She didn't have time to ponder on the colors though; a creak of metal from the other room let her know someone had entered the cell. She popped her head back out and saw a man there she did not know. Of course that would be obvious...If she didn't know who _she_ was logic would dictate she wouldn't know anyone else. Not that it bugged her particularly, something in her mind told her it'd be better if she didn't remember. 

The man looked at her and smiled. Something about him irked her, but she ignored it as the man spoke. "Ah, Hilde dear. You're awake." 

She stopped and looked at him. "Hilde...? Is that my name? Hilde?" She asked quietly.

The man's smile widened. "Why my dear! Don't you know who you are?" He asked. 

She scowled. "No...I don't remember anything at all before I woke up just a couple minutes ago...It's all blank. Now, I asked a simple question that you have failed to answer. Is Hilde my name?" 

He grinned now. "Still the same personality. Yes, Your name is Hilde Schibeker."

"Hilde Schibeker..." The two words rolled off her tongue like water. They felt so familiar. "Yes...that sounds about right..." She said. "Now answer some other questions." 

"Fire away Hilde, my princess." He retorted.

She grimaced at the name. "Well first, don't call me that. I don't know you-or I think I don't-"

"You will. You'll get to know me very well." He said.

"Yee-ah...well anyway, if I'm to do that, tell me, who are you?" She asked.

"Oh I'm sorry! I did not introduce myself did I?" He laughed at his apparent lapse of memory. 

Hilde scowled again, crossed her arms in front of her, leaned on the wall and muttered a muted "no."

He walked up to her extending his hand, which she resolutely decided to ignore, and said all to cheerfully for her taste "my name is Rodney Lewis. I am here to help you through this and help you remember what your here for."

She left his hand in mid air and went to sit on the cot she'd woken up on and stared hard at him. "Well you apparently know who I am, so I suppose there's no need for me to introduce myself. Not that I could."

"No my dear, you're quite right." He said as he turned to face her, letting his hand fall to his side.

"Mmm, so why am I here?" She continued.

"You were made specifically for the reason to fight. You are my ultimate creation, the ultimate soldier. You are going to win back rule for the colony's that was so brashly taken away by Earth." He answered her loosing his smile and going serious. 

Hilde took this in with ease. She accepted it without question, some how she felt that was her destiny. "All right, I'll buy that." She responded. "Can you tell me about my past?" She asked.

He gravely shook his head. "No, I can't. You see Hilde; you are a drone...You didn't have a past."

Hilde found this harder to believe, but since the something in her mind still nagged her that it was better not to remember and it also explained why she couldn't remember a blessed thing, she decided to believe him. "Hn...If you say so..."

"I know so." He insisted. "But, we need to train you for the fight. On top of being our ultimate soldier, you're our ultimate weapon. So you must endure vigorous training."

Hilde nodded. Then sat for a second and thought, she looked up at him. "If I had no past, how come some how I remember my eyes and hair being a different color?" She pointed at her head.

He broke into another smirk. "We had to make you before we gave you the ultimate soldier capability. The odd color was a side effect of the serum we gave you. Your hair color was originally raven blue black and your eyes cornflower blue, but the new colors fit you better now. A shocking white hair and lime green eyes. Very pretty." 

Hilde's eyes widened slightly and grabbed her long bangs into her nimble fingers and stared at them. Sure enough they were white, as Rodney had said. She looked back up at him. "You need to change the mirror in that bathroom, I couldn't tell my hair was white or that my eyes were green in it." She snarled at him.

He laughed again. "I suppose we will someday. But for now, I'm to move you to better quarters than this, so you'll have a better mirror in there I'd assume."

Hilde stared at him again. "When does this 'training' start?"

"Full of questions aren't we? It starts the day after tomorrow since you're so eager to know. Come on follow me." He said and went out. 

She quickly got up and followed. "Where are we?" She asked as she caught up with him.

"We are on a hidden, secret, special base on Earth. Soon you'll have other soldiers to work with. You were the prototype and so far you've come out perfect." He smiled again to himself.

Hilde snorted. "All except the hair and eyes." She retorted.

He laughed. "Yes, except for the slight side effects. Now I will show you your room, then take you to see your 'Mother'."

"My mother? What?" 

"She is the Commander here at this base, my dear. All my drones call her mother. You need not understand. It's just protocol."

"Hnm." 

~*~Chap. 2 fin.~*~


	3. The Sanq and the Prventers

Chapter Three: The Sanq and The Preventers

L2's Gundam Garage was incredibly quiet. Five young men were inside and yet it was still silent. Duo had closed shop for a few days so they could work on finding the new threat. It had been three days since Hilde's kidnapping and all that was heard was the tippity tapping of keyboard keys as they filed through the web and cracked secret databases to discover information on this new secret organization that Trowa had found out was the reformation of the White Fang. 

"I still can not believe its White Fang! When the hell did they resurface and we not notice?" Duo grumbled as he plowed through the Pentagon's secret files.

"Duo shut up. We were busy with other things...They were very discrete about resurfacing...And still are being so." Heero said as he clicked away at files from L1's military bases.

"Mmm, but there is an evident upraising in kidnapping reports over the last few days." Trowa commented, skimming the police reports from all over.

Quatre looked over Trowa's shoulder. "Hn...Yeah-" Then he stopped and his mouth fell open. "Trowa! Trowa! Go back up on the screen! Go back up!" He commanded. Trowa's fingers whisked and brought them back till Quatre yelled to stop.

"What's the matter Q-man?" Duo asked sitting on his knees backward in his chair look.

"Oh my god...Dorothy Catalonia has been kidnapped as well!" He stood completely abashed.

Duo laughed all of a sudden. "Oh don't worry about that old bag Q! They'll get sick of her and throw her out before you can blink twice!" 

"Either that or she'll be running the organization before you can snap your fingers." Wufei muttered from his seat running checks through the Preventers' files.

"Yeah, that could be a possibility too." Duo said smirking.

"Of course then we know Hilde will have a lot of trouble." Wufei then smirked at his screen and flipped through another file. 

Duo became very silent then and very quietly turned to face his computer console again. Quatre glared at Wufei. "Wufei! How can you be so inconsiderate?" Wufei just shrugged. Quatre then went to Duo and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Duo-We'll find her...and the reformed White Fang. She'll be back soon, don't loose heart."

Duo looked at Quatre. "It's been three days Quatre...How much longer can it take? I thought we were the best."

"It could take a few years according to this." Heero's monotone voice broke through.

Everyone turned to him. "Wh-what?" Duo asked in a broken voice.

"It could take a few years. I've got information on them because I found a White Fang encoded site. I broke through and I am now looking at special plans...problem is they're in a different kind of computer code I've never seen." Heero answered. "All I've gotten out of it is that the main base is located on Earth. No specifics where on Earth and no blueprints."

"What you think they're going to leave you a road map and invite you down for tea and biscuits? Of course they don't have a blueprint on the web." Wufei said.

"Which means we have to find the place and go to the main computer board for the prints of the place so we can blow it up. But this like I said may take several years. Earth is a big place and we want to kick this before it reaches the public, we can only work with internal recruits, specifically Preventers Headquarters and the New Sanq's military when needed." Heero said eyeing Wufei. 

"So basically we all have to take a one way ticket to Earth for a while." Trowa said quietly.

"That's what it looks like to me." Quatre said and began to get up to leave the room.

"Where are you going Winner?" Wufei asked.

"To contact Miss Relena, she will want to know about this and Heero said we might have to use the Sanq's Special Forces." He responded and slipped out.

"That's a fine idea...I'll go contact Sally and the Preventers also." Wufei said and left the room too.

It's about that time Duo fell off his chair. Heero and Trowa spun around to see what had happened when they heard the *whump* he made hitting the floor. "Duo?" Heero said and got little reaction from the braided boy lying there. He looked at Trowa and Trowa looked back. Neither said a word to the other as Heero got up and walked to him kneeling down and shaking him. "Duo!" He said more harshly. Duo's face looked up at Heero blank and white, his hands were trembling slightly and Heero grabbed them to stop them from doing it. "What is the matter with you?!" He asked.

Trowa came over and kneeled on the other side, helping Duo to a sitting position and having his head lean on his chest. "What's wrong Duo?" He asked him.

Duo spoke quietly, almost a whisper. "Is it true...that it'll take years before we find the reformed White Fang?" 

Heero nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"I'm afraid so, Duo..." Trowa finished.

Duo's eyes dropped closed and he heaved a breath. "Face it-I'll never see Hilde again...She'll be dead by then I'm sure. We won't get to her in time...it just not possible." 

Heero's eyes grew rather hard at Duo as he said this and dropping Duo's hands he slapped him, hard. "Duo don't _ever_ talk like that. With an attitude like that it will never happen. I don't know what you see in this Hilde girl that makes you act like this but it better stop! We don't need this kind of action from anyone during this, you got me?!"

Duo gasped at the sudden pain that shot through his face, his eyes wide staring at Heero. His violet eyes then also got hard and he glared at Heero. "You cold heartless bastard..." He growled as he sat up away from Trowa. "Of course you wouldn't see what I saw in her! You can't feel anything! She is my best friend, and a far better one then you'll ever be! And you should know anyway! You knew her before I even did! You make me sick...." He hissed and got up and rushed out of the room.

Trowa looked at Heero, who had his eyes shadowed by his hair. Trowa knew that Hilde being lost had a harder impact on Heero then any of the others knew especially Duo. He knew what had gone on between all of them during the training. He let it slide and stood up to go search out Quatre, leaving Heero to stew in his own mistakes. 

"He is so blind." Heero said suddenly making Trowa stop and turn. "Doesn't he see what she is to him?" 

Trowa shrugged. "He doesn't know his feelings for her yet."

"He's blind." Heero muttered.

"This may wake him up. Your right, he really doesn't know his feelings, even though they are evident. He is blind, for now." Trowa said and left the room.

The five assembled in the living room a short time later to discuss what was to happen. They all agreed that it would be best to go to Earth together and search with help. Relena had gladly offered the assistance of the Sanq Special Forces and told them they could stay with her for the time of searching for the base. 

"Yes, she did realize that it would be a couple years," Quatre was saying. "But she said she would be absolutely happy to have us all there. We're like a family to her I suppose. That's a really nice thought too." 

Heero sighed and Wufei groaned. "Of course she would-She's Relena." Wufei concluded. Heero shot him a glance but made no sound.

"All right so when do we leave? I need to find someone to work the garage while I'm on Earth." Duo said.

Trowa raised a brow at Duo. "Use Howard." He said in an obvious tone.

Duo rubbed the back of his head. "...Oh yeah...My minds off today." He gave a forced smirk and trickled off to the phone.

"And will stay off till we find '_her_'" Heero muttered under his breath.

"Poor Duo. He's taking this whole thing really hard." Quatre said watching the pilot sit at the phone desk.

"You would too if someone you were incredibly close to was kidnapped right under your nose." Trowa said following Quatre's eyes.

They got off the L2 shuttle and wandered into the terminal. Relena was there, waiting for all of them with Pagan, her trusty butler, and her pink Cadillac limo just outside waiting to take them to the palace where Sally, Une, Milliardo, Noin and the rest of the Preventers' team was waiting.

Duo of course was the first to spot Relena and went over to her slowly, leaving the other pilots to take care of their luggage. "Jousan." Duo said coming up to her with a sad smile on his face.

Relena looked at him and smiled back. "Hello Duo, welcome home."

Duo's eyes brightened just a bit and he hugged her. She hugged back, and then pulled back to arm length keeping his elbows in her grasp. "My, you shot up like a tree didn't you!" She said.

Duo's mouth quirked again. "You bet, you don't think the 'God of Death' would stay a little short squirt now did you?"

Relena smiled, showing her teeth. "No I suppose not." She then stopped ad looked at Duo who had kind of averted his eyes to the floor. "I-heard-about what happened...I'm so sorry." She said quietly.

He looked at her again. "It's ok, really. I'm not gonna die over it." He shot her a phony smile.

"I know, but it must hurt awfully." She said.

"It does." He responded in almost a whisper as the rest of the pilots came up and their conversation ended.

"Miss Relena!" Quatre chattered. "It's so awfully good to see you in person again!" He ran to her and enveloped her in a big bear hug, one of his specialties, and she hugged back.

"It's so great to see you again also Quatre!" She responded. 

Trowa and Wufei followed suit by nodding and saying hello to her and she responded back with a smile. Heero in this time had moved all their things to the trunk of the pink car and was now leaning against a pillar staring quietly at them. Relena spotted him and walked over. She bowed slightly and stood to face him. "Heero, it's good to see you again as well." She said this with no smile on her face and he did not smile at her. 

He just took to a curt nod and looked at the rest of the group. "If you are all quite finished, we should get moving now. We have no time to loose with searching for the new White Fang and Rodney Lewis. We must stop them before any real damage is done." He said and slid past Relena.

Relena turned solemnly and sighed with her eyes closed. Her head drooped a bit forward and she opened her eyes to look at the floor and said nothing. Looking up again she made her way to the limo thinking that if Heero didn't open up at all while he was using the Sanq as a mainstay base, then she wouldn't be able to live near him. A few years would be a long time.

The Sanq's palace steps were lined with Mechas and soldiers ready to serve and protect it from any disturbance that may threaten it. The five pilots were saluted as they ascended the stairs to enter the palace, as well as Relena. As they entered the great hall maids and butlers scurried this way and that in the final preparations for their stay.

One butler came to each of the guests and bowed, asking them to follow him to his room. Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei all looked at each other. 

"Go with them." Relena said. "When you're all satisfied with your quarters come to my office. The Preventers and my Special Forces head should be there waiting for you to start planning out the search for this base." Heero nodded at this and followed his butler up the grand staircase. The others took that as it was and did the same. Relena sighed and turned to Pagan. "I hope this works for the sake of the peace."

"Do not worry Miss Relena," Pagan said reassuringly. "You know the Gundam pilots are the most competent in this sort of predicament."

Relena eyed Duo and Heero as they turned the corner at the top of the stairs. "I hope your right. Duo has me a little worried...He obviously hasn't been himself since Miss Schibeker was kidnapped. And Heero I always have my doubts about, yet he always seems to come through when truly needed."

"Yes, well Mr. Yuy has never been very reliable has he? And as for Mr. Maxwell, I'm afraid you're right Miss Relena, but he is a headstrong boy. He will get over her in time." Pagan said.

"Again, I hope your right." Relena answered tearing her eyes away from the now empty landing.

"Come along Miss Relena, we must be getting you ready for the meeting with the pilots, Preventers and Miss Noin." He said and led her off by the elbow. 

The heads of the Preventers headquarters, the pilots, the head of the Special Forces unit, who was Lucrezia Noin and Relena, were jammed into her huge office. Relena sat at her desk and looked around at the surrounding company. "Well we all know why we're here and what we are here to accomplish." She began. "Just recently we have found that a faction started in outer space during the war that we had no idea about has surfaced calling themselves the New White Fang. They have kidnapped many retired soldiers to put them in a genetic altering test that could turn them into the ultimate soldier. They have especially gone after those retired soldiers who had rebelled against the different army factions, such as Oz or the original White Fang. They see it as punishment for becoming traitors to them. We do not know more than that about this new faction, but we do know it must be stopped or the Earth and the colony's will be ravaged with war again for a reason that is not true. So we must find them and stop them, with that I'll pass on the briefing to Heero." She gestured toward the perfect soldier who nodded and stood up.

"I worked with the scientist they are using for the making of the ultimate soldier serums. He used it on me when he first began his study. He is an incredible genius so finding this base will not be easy. All we know for sure is that the base is on Earth and it may take a few years to locate it." He said quietly and gravely.

"But what if in a few years it's too late Mr. Yuy? What then?" Noin asked raising her finger.

Heero inclined his head slightly to encompass her face. "All we can do is pray it isn't." He responded flatly. "I do know that whether or not these serums make the victim an ultimate soldier or not, the soldier will have to be trained vigorously to hone in on his or her skills, to make them beyond perfect in ability, so we will have some time. But if they finish their training and are deployed, we as normal people in battle will have no chance. So it is imperative we find the base and end the experiments before anything terrible happens." 

"How?" It was a simple question from Zechs. 

Heero's head shifted a quarter of an inch to look at the Lightning Count. "He who is patient and listens, will understand." Heero said. 

Zechs sat back. "Well then get to the point Yuy. We don't have all day."

Heero glared at Zechs. "No, you're right admiral. We don't have all day." He looked at Lady Une, who looked back and nodded for him to continue. "We will need the highest quality radar systems and tracking devices that are available. I've said before the scientist working for them is a genius so it will be incredibly hard to find their base. I'll want people deployed all over the world looking for it. We need the best scouting men out on the job for this and just in case they were deceiving us, I want people in space looking as well. We will find the New White Fang and destroy it. It is a very apparent threat to the peace that has been established by Miss Relena, and we are here to keep the peace. On top of that people have been kidnapped and we must get them back to their families ASAP." Duo made a small-strangled noise. Quatre whispered to him and pat him on the back. Heero made a little back look at Duo and then at Relena. Relena understood and came to lead Duo to her desk. He continued. "We are here as protectors of the people as well as the peace, so we have to keep it."

Applause broke out and Une stood up. "Heero, I understand that we must help in any way possible, so why don't you assign duties to us so we have order as we search."

Heero nodded. "I already took that into consideration Miss Une. I had Trowa write up the jobs, Wufei will hand them out."   
Wufei stood up and handed out the jobs. "Miss Noin, you are to get together all the best people on the your Sanq Special Forces team and give them these places to search. You will have them in outer space and especially Earth." Wufei said gravely.

Noin saluted. "I'll get right on it." She stated and hurried out of the room.

Wufei handed Zechs his assignment. "You are to find all possible best quality radar and tracking systems known to man at the present time. We will really need those pieces of machinery for this search and you are the best with the technology of today." 

Zechs mulled over his assignment. "Being ordered around by Yuy. The disgrace of it all..." He muttered. 

"Milliardo! This is serious and you know that. Now get your ass moving!" Une yelled at him.

"Yes Miss Une." He said saluting her and heading out.

Wufei rolled his eyes and hissed "baka" under his breath as he came to Sally. He eyed her somewhat warily. "Why did you not add anything to the conversation woman?" He asked before he handed her, her assignment.

She looked up at Wufei with her arm draped over the back of the chair and her legs crossed. "I had nothing to add. There's not much I can say for this situation. Heero is right, it will take years before we find the base if the scientist is as much of a genius as Heero denotes. All I can say is I hope, for the victims sake, they figure out how to escape before it's too late."

A solitary, almost unheard, slight whimper wafted across from Relena's desk where Quatre, Trowa and Relena sat trying to comfort Duo in some way. Sally took note of this. "I'm sure Hilde will be the first to get away..." Duo obviously hit his head because there was a slight squabble as Relena asked if he was ok.

Wufei narrowed his eyes at where Duo was, surrounded by the other three. "He is a fool to let his emotions get in the way of a mission like this."

Sally looked sharply back at Wufei. "Shut up, Wufei." He quickly snapped his head back to face her in surprise. "Hilde was very close to him, and she was the one they took first, to change her body and mind structure so she could become a drone of war for the New White Fang's personal use. If she comes out of this alive, she will never be the same! Do you understand that?! So he was the first to loose someone very dear to him in this war and your saying he's a fool for mourning over it? I say you're the fool. You will never get anywhere with out feelings. Give me that assignment now, I'm leaving." With that she ripped the assignment from a very stunned Wufei's grasp and went out.

Heero had been speaking with Lady Une during this and he finished the conversation with a tight nod and he and Lady Une turned toward the group. "All right, we have a very long search ahead of us, as well as a conference to decide strategy's for when we find the base. We start tomorrow I suggest everyone get some sleep now. It will be very tiring." Lady Une said. "I want all of you in your rooms now!"

The boys moved out. Duo had recovered somewhat being helped to the door by Relena. Quatre took him the rest of the way. Heero turned to Lady Une and nodded at her. She understood and left the room closing the door behind her, leaving Heero and Relena alone in it.

Relena sat back down at her desk and looked at the top of it. She sighed. Heero turned his head after the door had been closed and he heard Relena sigh. He came up to the desk and looked down at her. 

Sensing his eyes on her she looked up at him. Their eyes met, locked and tore away. She looked sidelong. "Heero...I'm worried." She started breaking the silence.

Heero tilted his head somewhat. "You told me you wanted to speak to me after the meeting." He said flatly.

She sighed again and looked up, propping the underneath of her nose on her the top of her hands. "I did. For a couple reasons." She responded blinking slowly.

"Which are?" 

"Well first and foremost that's on my mind is, I missed you-and when you see me all you can do is give a curt uncaring nod. What's with that? Even Trowa gave me more than that."

Heero blinked. "What relevance does this have to the problem at hand?" 

"Let me make this simple. You are staying here as a mainstay base, are you not?"

Heero nodded.

"Well then you must be open with your feelings and emotions while your here. Ok?" 

Heero groaned. "I knew you told us to use this place for some supercilious reason." 

"Just say 'ok' and I'll move to the next reason." She glared at him intently.

Heero rolled his eyes and said emotionlessly "I'll try."

"Ok, next is I'm worried about Duo. He is not acting himself...I don't know if he can handle this." She said.

"Duo is a fighter a soldier, he will survive." Heero stated.

"He is, but he's not like you! He can't just switch off his emotions like some cyborg, and I'm afraid he'll get hurt!" She protested.

"He is blind Relena." He answered her. "He has feelings for that woman he is not aware of yet. As long as those feelings stay at bay, he will be fine."

"That's horrible! And sounds just like you." She growled.

"What?" Heero looked at her bewildered.

"Never mind..." She quickly covered up. "Just keep his condition in mind and go get some rest. We have a long time with a lot of hard work ahead of us all." She got up and walked Heero to her door. "Goodnight love." She said and pecked his cheek quickly before closing the door behind him.

Heero spun and looked at the closed door placing his hand on his cheek where the imprint of her lips still was. He pondered what just happened for a second before putting it behind him and heading off down the hall.

~*~Chap. 3 fin.~*~


	4. The Escape and Coming Back Together

Chapter Four: An Esacpe and Coming Back Together

The year is now After Colony 198, two years since The New White Fang has made moves to create the ultimate soldiers. Now in this year they have deployed some of their ultimate soldiers to fight for the colony's rule over Earth, which the New White Fang felt, was stolen from the colonies. The battles have ranged all over space and the Sanq and Preventers corps have been very busy trying to defeat them. So far few have succeeded in beating the soldiers. 

Battles rage in and out of space, mechas are being placed all over by both sides of the battle and soldiers are being used in great numbers. At the secret base for training the soldiers the Greatest secret weapon they have, as well as the best and first they succeeded with, is still enduring the brash training set up for her standards. The time draws near to when they will use her and win the war against Earth and rule the colonies alone.

~*~

Hilde sat in the mecha cockpit simulator and instantly hit all relevant targets on her screen, receiving a perfect score on the test and higher. She removed the helmet from her head as it finished. Her white bangs flipped up as she pulled it off, and her lime green eyes opened. Her face held that expressionless poise as she stoically pulled off the simulator gloves and put them aside pushing her bangs back with her hand.

"Simulation and score recount complete-" the computer babbled. She exited the machine and stood just outside it waiting for her score. "Score recount equal to 4,000%, highest score standard of 3,100% beat. Pilot status: Unable to comply." 

Hilde nodded her head and looked toward the rest of the training course. She was done for the day, but she didn't want to go back to her bunk yet. For the past two years she had been vigorously trained to become the ultimate perfect soldier, the one soldier who would win the war for the colonies, by numerous trainers, except usually only the 'Mother'. But she was told that's all she was alive for. She had no other purpose. She had started to wonder what would happen to her after she filled her purpose. She supposed they'd kill her, seeing as she was no longer needed. She'd rather not have that happen. 

On top of that, she'd been having strange dreams...She could never remember them properly in the morning-and it hurt excruciatingly every time she tried. They seemed to be dreams of people she some how knew, and places she'd some how been to, but how could that be? She was made here and had been here since she had been made, right? This is the only place she knew the people here were like-oh what was that word-family to her. Or were they? If she filled her purpose and they killed her, that wouldn't be much of a family act. 

Her mind was suddenly screaming with images from somewhere. People, places, things-and it hurt! "AHHH!" She screamed and held her head. "Why, why does it hurt so badly when I try to remember?!" She fell to the floor and clutched at her white curls till her mind stopped trying to remember and the pain subsided.

She sat there panting. "Oh god..." She muttered. "What does this mean?" She sat up slowly. "I don't want to do this..." She mumbled to herself looking around. "This suddenly feels so wrong somehow...I feel like I don't belong here anymore...Like someone is out there in the world looking and waiting for me...Like I was someone else before this." She pulled at her hair as she said that. She slowly stood up and again surveyed the training course. She wanted to get her mind off of everything for the moment and the course provided some distraction. 

Her lime greens fell upon the obstacle course. She nodded her head and started at a run to take it on. As she reached the mats, guns popped up out of it and she began to front flip and back flip and cartwheel out of their line of shot and at the end made a final back flip landing perfectly. She spun around as kick bags shot up and she kicked them all till they dropped and she moved to the next thing. Reaching a tight crawl space she crammed her tiny body into it and emerged very quickly at the other side where she disarmed a phony practice bomb in less then ten seconds. Then she ran and leapt up on the monkey bars making fancy maneuvers to avoid being shot at by more laser pistols from below. She climbed through the rungs and got on top of the bars and walked across them, grabbing hold of a fly line at the end and shooting it across the way to a place where it could hook and sliding on it to safety.

She then grabbed a pistol and ran through the part of the course where she had to shoot people. As she left that she leapt onto a platform and climbed up a fake training mecha and into the cockpit to begin the hands on simulation to take out enemy mechs. When it finished she ripped her helmet back off and sat in the cockpit. Her score was announced again as beyond record, but she didn't care. She decided there and then that she wanted out.

She knew there was more out there for life then this training and winning White Fang's personal war with Earth. Plus somehow she felt she didn't belong here. She knew they'd never let her leave because supposedly she was the best of the best of the best, the first drone and the one that came out beyond perfect. So she had to escape. She'd do it tonight...What better time then the present? 

With this decided she exited the mecha and climbed down and went to the showers to change. Once in her leather jacket, leather pants, blue halter-top and gray knee high boots, she left for her bunk to begin the plans and preparations for escape from the White Fang training/military base. The only problem was, she had no idea where the base was located, so it would be hard to get around because she had no idea where she would be going. 

After thinking about this her fingers suddenly snapped and she grew a grin on her face. "That's it!" She hissed to herself. "I'll just have to get into the main control room and download a map and blueprints to where I am and I'll be able to get away and start my life!" For some reason she wanted to add 'again' to that, but it wouldn't be again, would it? "Damn! I have to find out _who_ I really was before this..." She muttered as she packed the necessities. "Somehow I know I wasn't this way! They've been lying to me." She wasn't able to finish because Rodney came to the door to escort her to the mess hall then.

"Ah, my dear Hilde! You look beautiful tonight, as always." He said as he opened the door and bowed slightly.

Hilde quickly spun around and hurriedly and very slapdash like shoved her half packed bag under her bed and nervously pushed her bangs behind her ear. When she saw whom it was she scowled and her hand dropped to her side. "Rodney." She acknowledged coldly and stood up straight and began to walk past him. She, for some reason, had hated him since the day she woke up in the cell.

"Same as always." He smirked and closed the door behind her. "You will never change and become nice to me will you my dear?" He asked as he caught up with her.

She didn't even give him a side-glance as she began to move faster. "No." She answered plainly. 

"My, you are quick! Slow down, I came to escort you." He said lightly.

"Yes, I am quick. It's because of your training and ultimate soldier serum Rodney, you know that. You remind me almost everyday." She snarled.

"Hmm, Well anyway, I must tell you you'll be sent off into battle very soon Hilde darling. Your training is nearly complete. Another couple weeks and you'll be beyond ultimate; you'll be exquisitely perfection itself in being a soldier. You're nearly there." He said proudly.

"Yay." She responded.

"Why so sarcastic? You'll be beyond perfection, no one can stop you after the final training sessions are complete, and doesn't that excite you?" He prodded as they turned the corner to the mess hall.

"To be honest, no. I don't feel like I belong here. I feel like I had a life before this-but I can't put my finger on it, and every time I attempt to remember it hurts my head like hell!" She said seriously.

"I see-well I'm to take you to see your mother after dinner." Rodney retorted and fell silent as if in thought. Hilde thanked her stars; she hated his voice, his face, and his presence-hell she hated every aspect about him. She didn't know quite why, but she knew it had something to do with the past she was told she never had but somehow pieces of were falling back into her mind. She had to get out of here and find out all she could tonight. But it would be incredibly hard, even for her. Plans had to be made.

Rodney oddly enough left her alone for a couple hours, telling her he'd come back to bring her to Mother soon. She found it strange but she welcomed the change and finished her packing and planning. Late that night at midnight she adorned a totally black outfit that covered her nearly entirely. She slipped out of her bunk and around the corner. A guard stood watch and she came up and hit two of his pressure points. He fell immediately without more than a groan from him. She didn't stop to check if he was still alive. She moved on down the hall making sure to keep to the walls and shadows and to stay out of the camera's field of vision and made her way to the elevator. 

Quietly, quickly she picked the lock on it and crept in and started it to take her to the third floor where all the main computers were and the armory as well. She'd need a real good pistol for this trip. 

When the door noiselessly slid open for her she snuck out. 'Damn!' She thought to herself, as she crept along the hallway to an alcove not too far from the elevator. 'This floor is crawling with MPs during the night hours!' She dug in her duffel bag and pulled out some suction cups for her hands and knees and proceeded to climb onto the ceiling to make her way to the main control room. 

She crawled along the ceiling with her duffel bag on her shoulder hanging down somewhat until she spotted the room. 'Drat, if I'm to get in I'll have to be majorly quick and time it right.' She thought as she watched MPs come in and out of the room. 'On top of that, looks as if I'll have to knock out a bunch of MPs-hnn.... Well here goes nothing!' She scooted across the ceiling and waited for the doors to slide open and then quick as a flash found herself inside with around 20 MPs sitting at consoles. She carefully took out a gas mask from her duffel bag and placed it over her face before she very quietly dug around and pulled out tear gas and dropped it in on them. 

All the MPs started choking and holding their mouths and rushed out of the room. The alarms went off and Hilde knew she now had to be incredibly quick. She leapt off the ceiling and quickly hacked into the computer database and downloaded all information she needed onto a disk. Right before the air grates pulled out the gas she finished and ripped open an air vent climbing in and shutting it before the MPs came back in shouting orders and such with their guns looking for the 'intruder.' She deftly crawled along the air vent looking for the armory. After a short time she found it and carefully dropped in. 'Not that it matters anymore!' She laughed to herself. 'The alarms are already going off. But I really am pressed for time now. They'll realize I'm missing very soon-I gotta get out now and fast!' Thinking this thought she grabbed a pair of Uzi's an MP5 and a gun holster and ripped back into the air vent seeking the way that led out.

She was incredibly lucky; she found an air vent that led to the outside of the compound a short time later. Her head emerged and she pulled off her facemask to taste the air it seemed like she'd never breathed before. As she did her hair blew back in the wind as she closed her eyes and drew in a breath of freezing air. Opening her eyes she extremely carefully pulled herself out. She wasn't out of the woods yet. Even though the base was an underground compound there were still cameras and men prowling the premises. She acted quickly and shoved her black facemask back on and got out and ran as fast as her legs would carry her to the deep woodland surrounding the area that was covered with snow.

Once she was a good mile away from it she turned back and ripped off her facemask again, breathing so that her chest fell up and down quickly and her lips parted slightly, but not heavily. The brisk cold wind whipped her bangs around her face, framing it as she smiled. Her breath came out in white puffs, but she was immune to the cold and heat now so the weather did not bug her. She had done it she was free, away from the training and the constant push that she was to be the best they had and the one they would win the war with. She was now free, finally, to discover who she really was and find out what those dreams meant and if she had a life before the training base. She turned and ran off down the road to find out if she had a life.

~*~ 

A week later-Duo rubbed his head and continued walking down the street as it sprinkled little driblets of rain here and there. Sure it was after all hours of the night, but what the hell did he care? He couldn't sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep for a _very_ long time now anyway. Even though it had been a couple years since he lost-'her'-he gulped as he thought of her face-he still couldn't get over it. He ran his fingers through his matted spiky bangs as it started to pour.

"Aw man!" He groaned and pulled his jacket cuffs closer around his head and started to sprint to the canopy cover of an Italian restaurant. He stood there with red rimmed eyes watching the rain fall...He blew into his hands and rubbed them together to make them warmer. 

He and the rest of the pilots had had a lot of battles in the past few months. The New White Fang was larger than first thought and tougher then nails. The Sanq had lost a lot of men to the new breed of ultimate soldiers, but they had yet to come across Hilde. Duo rubbed his hands together and blew in them again as he moved his tired violet eyes skyward to look into the endless gray oblivion from which the water was searing the air in pieces and thought of Hilde. 

He had to leave home base sometime soon with Heero, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Noin, Zechs and the rest of the Sanq's military unit to go fight a battle on the front and hopefully win this time. He shook his head and closed his tired eyes again. Why did this Rodney character have to call his house oh so many moons ago and ruin his life all over again? He didn't want to be back in war again...he just wanted to live his life out now, peacefully with his Hilde and his small business back on L2. But Rodney had ruined that chance of ever happening by calling and kidnapping Hilde-then making the move to destroy the Sanq and the rest of Earth with his new breed of soldiers. Why did he have to be the cursed Shinigami? Why him? 

He groaned and reopened his eyes looking back into the gray nothingness. "Why me God?! WHY?" He suddenly burst out and sank to his knees on the sopping wet cement. "Why...why me? What did I do to deserve any of this? Why,...Why, why, why, why me?" He cradled his forehead in his hands as he scrunched into a fetal ball in the pouring rain, his hair coming loose and snaking across his black trench coat and wisps of it stringing into his face as he rocked back and forth crying helplessly, and hopelessly. No one even awake to notice or try to give comfort to this wretched man's soul.

Suddenly Duo felt a sharp kick in his side and then a yelp as he felt then someone or something fell on top of him then a screech of pain as they hit the cement on the other side. He whirled around sitting up straight now. With his now chocolate colored hair streaming into his eyes, and the rope in back swinging around so fast it fell over his left shoulder he stared at the slight, tiny framed black clad figure that was slowly picking themselves up off the cement and nursing a scrapped palm. 

"Oh my lord! I'm sorry!" He said putting a hand on the persons shoulder and quickly wiping away tears that could not have been seen anyway due to the downpour. "People aren't usually out at this time of night and in this type of torrential downpour-I didn't think I'd be tripping anyone..." He slowed his speech and then he stopped talking entirely as the figure turned to face him nursing the palm that had been scraped. 

Duo found himself staring into and getting lost in the fathomless, endless depths of the most beautifully stunning lime-emerald green eyes he had ever seen. Pure white wisps of wet hair fell into the eyes as they stared intently back into his own-almost like they were scrutinizing them. His hand moved before he could even think to stop it, and reached out to move the white hair from obscuring the view of the eyes. The pretty face that belonged to them flinched away from his hand and scooted back.

Duo realized what he had done with his hand and dropped it immediately turning a nice cooked lobster color. "S-sorry..." He said and rubbed his hands again.

The person, obviously female from the feminine curves and features she pertained, stood up slowly and nodded slightly. In a voice Duo swore up and down he recognized she looked down at him and said "its all right...It was my fault for not seeing you there..."

Her voice was soothing, and deepish with a slight male tangy sound to it. She smiled a little reserved smile and held out her hand to help him up. He took it still entranced by her gorgeous odd colored eyes. "I'm really sorry about that-" She said offhandedly looking past him and off down the road. "I must get going now..." She started to turn and was about to sprint away again when he found his voice and called out to her. 

"Wait! Wait Miss..." He said as he held out his hand imploring her to stop. She turned her head slightly, her white hair flipping about her features, letting droplets of water fly off the ends. "I'm really sorry to stop you when your in such a hurry...but you remind me of someone-and you remind me very strongly of her...had you of had blue eyes and navy-blue hair, I'd swear you _were _her..."

The girl arched her eyebrow and stared at him. "Oh--do I?" She asked not quite sure. "And who do I remind you of?"

Duo looked at his feet, then back at the girl. "Someone I lost a couple years ago. I'm sure you never met her, she was kidnapped by an organization called the New White Fang, and used as an experimental variable. I'm sure she's probably dead now..."

At the mention of the New White Fang her eyes grew wide and she stared at him slack jawed. "The New White Fang?" She stumbled out.

Duo's eyes met hers again in a questionable glance. "You've heard of them..." He stated. 

She nodded slowly. "Yes, I escaped their training compound a week ago and traveled here. They're hot on my trail after realizing I escaped and I've been running for a while."

Duo's turn to have his eyes grow wide and his jaw slacken. "You were actually _in_ the compound?!" He asked. She nodded again. Duo looked around and grabbed her by the arm. "Would you mind coming with me to a more private place? I have questions I want to ask you."

The girl looked at him severely. "I can't for long...They will find me if I stay in one place for to long..."

Duo nodded "I'll take that into consideration, but for now come on." He said and dragged her off down the street.

He led her to an abandoned warehouse in the city and brought her in. She held her nose from the stench of rotting bird and rat carcasses strewn carelessly across the wooden planks. Once in a room he closed the door and turned to her. She faced him with her hand on one of her Uzi's tucked away on her back in case he planned to do something. "Can you tell me where the base is?" He asked her placing his hands out in emphasis.

She looked at him and studied his features. He was just a little taller than she was, with a long beautiful rope of plated brunette hair, lean and muscular-not to much muscle but just enough to make him look lithe. He had a beautifully crafted face and beautiful azure-violet eyes to go with it. The face was vaguely familiar now that she looked and thought about it. The long, soaking wet, black trench coat that covered up all but the frontal view of him looked magnificent. He wore a priest type garb with a small silver cross that hung from a chain around his neck and a little gold earring placed in his right earlobe. 

As she studied him she shook her head at his question. "No, I don't. I have no idea where I am now. All I know is that it's in a very cold mountainous area. I never stopped to find out where exactly..."

His shoulders drooped a bit and he averted his eyes to the floor. He sighed tiredly and leaned against the wall, rubbing his face with his hand and lifting up his bangs slightly as he thought. Something suddenly struck her in her thoughts and she looked at him. "Mr. tell me, who was the girl you lost a couple years ago? What was her name?"

Duo suddenly looked up at her as if pulled harshly from his thoughts. "What?" 

"What was the girl's name..." She restated trying to stay calm.

"Why do you want to know that? You probably don't know her..." He said with his eyebrows raised.

"Just tell me her name! What was it? Tell me damn it!" She said fiercely.

Duo stared at her. "Ok, ok babe-settle down! I'll tell you-don't get all hysterical. Her name was Hilde Schibeker, why?" Duo watched carefully as the girl's eyes became as round as saucers and her hand flew to her mouth. She started backward and stumbled almost falling, but catching herself on a deserted desk.

"H-Hilde Schibeker? That was her name?" She said almost whispering. 

Duo pushed off the wall quickly. "Yes-did you know her? Do you know her? Is she still alive? -Tell me!" He said but it didn't make any difference to her. The girl before him-her eyes turned from green to a searing pink and she lost consciousness and began to topple to the floor. Duo gasped and ran to catch her just before she hit. 

Her head lolled back in his arms and he looked at her face. She was as white as a sheet. She hadn't eaten in a week obviously. She was so beautiful...He pushed the wet hair back from her face and realized something as he looked at it. On top of that he realized something sticky and liquidly was coming from her. He lifted up his hand and it was covered in red goo, blood obviously enough. His mouth shut and opened a couple times before he managed to stumble out the words "Oh my god...no..." He hissed under his breath his eyes again growing wide. He quickly scooped the girl up into his arms and rushed from the warehouse into the rain of the early morning, but still night, and away back to the Sanq's palace, not surprised at how light she was.

~*~ Chap. 4 fin.~*~ 


	5. Hilde's Return

Chapter Five: Hilde's Return

Duo moved as fast as his legs would carry him. He ignored anything in his way, the gate to the palace for instance. He only had one thing on his mind getting this tiny girl to Sally. He busted in the front doors and shook his face, letting the wetness fall off and leaving the doors open sped off to the infirmary. 

He burst in the door and tossed his bangs up over his violet pools and his brows furrowed scrutinizing the room. Sally was working quietly on a patient who was asleep-or at least appeared to be. As he came in she spun around her sandy pigtails whirling and pulled off her paper mask to stare at him. "Duo!" She hissed. "It's two A.M. in the morning what are you-" She stopped and gasped as she saw the slight girl wrapped up in his arms protectively. "Oh dear lord!" She quickly shut her mouth and motioned for him to place her on one of the beds. He did it with out hesitation and as he removed his hands from under her stared at them blindly. They were covered in a sickly deep shade of red.

"Duo! What happened? How did this occur?" Sally asked him.

Duo just stared at her blankly for a moment processing what she had just asked him. "I-I don't know what happened to her...She fell into me on the side walk..." He trailed off and looked at her white face, and his eyes became encumbered with tears. "Sally-do you know who this is?" He asked out of the blue trailing his finger along the girl's hair leaving a slight red line along her face.

"No..." She answered shortly. "Duo, go clean your hands then tell me what happened! This girl was shot and has lost a lot of blood!"

He snapped out of his trance just enough to go wash his hands.

"Hurry Duo, I'll need help-she needs an operation to get the bullet out immediately." Sally commended him.

He made his way back and helped out best he could suddenly going back into a frantic mode. "She-I-I was sitting and she tripped over me and landed beside me" He began to say as he helped Sally prep things. "I had no idea she had been shot-I mean she looked pale and everything but, look at her hair and eyes...One would believe that was natural! I told her I was ok and that she reminded me strongly of Hilde. But I didn't say Hilde's name...She told me she had just run away from the New White Fang compound..." 

Sally stopped and stared at him, again slowly pulling down her paper mask. "What?" She said.

"That's what I thought too-so I pulled her into an abandoned warehouse so she could possibly tell me where the base was-but she said she had no idea where she was so she couldn't tell me where she'd come from. I didn't know whether or not to believe that till she asked me what Hilde's name was, and I wanted to know why. Had she seen her? Was she ok? But all she did was say "Hilde? That was her name?" And she collapsed on me. I ran to catch her and when I looked at her it hit me..." He stopped and bit his lip hard.

"What hit you Duo? Tell me." Sally prodded gently.

He looked up into Sally's warm aquamarine eyes and tears spilled over his cheeks. He wiped them away furiously and answered. "She-she is my Hilde..." He said in a little less than a whisper.

Sally dropped her scalpel and it clanged to the floor. She snapped her head to look at the white haired girl that lay motionless in the hospital bed below her fingers. "You mean-?" She indicated the girl with a nod of her head. Duo nodded slowly, wiping more tears as they slid past the barriers of his lids. "Oh good God...Hilde...What did they do to you? You look so wrong!" She said as she stared at her.

Duo broke down completely but he was smiling sort of. "My Hilde...I found her again...She came back to me."

Sally shook her head and regained herself. "Oh! But she won't be back for long if I don't do this! Duo-you should leave...This obviously will have a major effect on you. I'll call someone real fast to escort you back to your room. I'll let you know something about her as soon as I know myself all right?" 

"No!" He said "I haven't seen her in two years...I want to watch and know for myself that she'll be ok!"

"Duo! You can't stay!" Sally said. She picked up a phone and dialed something. Duo held Hilde's hand tightly as she did and he looked at her. 

"I'm staying Sally..." He said in a final voice.

Sally looked at Duo and hung up the phone. "Duo, hon., I know you want to be here when she wakes up-when the thing is over, but you'll just be an obstruction. I can't let you."

Duo glared at her but didn't have anything to say. The doors to the infirmary opened and Heero walked in with Trowa. "What is the problem?" Heero asked blankly.

Duo whirled around. "You sent for _him_?" He snarled.

Heero took in the site before him. "Who is that?" He said and pointed to the girl on the bed behind the braided boy.

Duo wiped his eyes again. "Hilde." He said very tersely.

Trowa and Heero's eyes grew wide and they stared at her. "Hilde?" Heero asked disbelievingly.

Duo nodded. "I know...I know what your thinking-It doesn't look like her at all. Well it's been two years since any of us has seen her-people change. On top of that you said the serum that she was supposed to be given you didn't even know the effects of it. It could have done this to her."

Sally frowned. "She has changed very much-But I asked you, Heero, down here to escort Duo away so he won't become an obstruction to an operation I must perform on her." 

Heero nodded and took Duo by the arm. As he helped Duo out the door he mused on the raging and conflicting emotions inside him at the moment at Hilde's sudden return. He was happy because she came back, mortified because he'd have to face her again and glad because if he was right, the New White Fang had just lost their best and top ultimate soldier. They had her now therefore handing Earth and the Sanq the upper hand in the battle, providing they didn't find her and try to take her back. He noticed that Duo was resisting him now and he was tugging on him and telling him to 'come on.'

"Duo! Move!" He hissed.

"No! I told you, I'm staying in here to see for myself if she's ok! Heero I haven't seen her for two years! I thought she was dead! I-I-" His face was filled with tears again as he broke again.

Trowa looked at Heero; Heero knew and nodded. He held Duo fast as Trowa got a tranquilizer and stabbed Duo with it. Duo cried out, but within a minute he collapsed onto Heero. Heero lifted the slightly shorter boy up in his arms and without a word left the infirmary, his conflicting emotions battling inside his head behind his indifferent mask.

Trowa watched calmly then turned to Sally. "Why was I called?" He asked looking at Hilde.

"I need you to help me with this-and to go and tell Heero or Duo when something happens...I'll do my best to work quickly on her and get it over with and keep her alive." She said reassuringly putting a hand on Trowa's shoulder. Trowa nodded and they got down to business.

Upstairs after Heero had laid the 02 Gundam pilot down he left the room immediately traveling to Relena's office where she was frequently, pacing back and forth pondering the problem at present. He rapped lightly on the great oak doors and the sweet undertones of her muffled voice drifted out through them and to his ears with a tired "come in..."

He slid the door open and silently slipped inside. He stood there resting his weight on his left foot surveying the room. Relena stood bent half way over the front of her desk studying something on it's surface. She stood and turned as she heard the oak doors shut. Her eyes opened a little more and she looked at him. "Heero." She greeted.

He grunted a little. "Relena." He returned.

She closed whatever she had been studying on her desktop and turned completely to face him. "What are you doing here and up at this time of morning?" She asked trying to sound pleasant and keep the exhaustion from showing in her voice.

Heero just stared at her. "What are you doing here and up at this time of morning, Miss Darlian?" He asked gruffly.

Relena smiled tiredly at him and turned to walk behind her desk and sit. She sighed. "You got me there...I could be doing all this during the day." She said and pushed aside some papers. "Well, you came in here for some reason...so out with it." She said waving her hand at a chair in front of the desk.

He ignored the friendly gesture to sit and remained standing as he said in his usual monotone tongue "Hilde has been found."

Relena dropped the glass she had picked up not caring that it had fallen and shattered on the marble floor. "She what?! She's been found? Are you quite sure, Heero?" She asked.

Heero closed his Prussian blue eyes letting a small breath escape the confinements of his lips and nodded, opening them again. "She's in the infirmary, with Sally being operated on as we speak. Trowa is with them."

Relena stood up quickly. "What happened to her?" She asked rather frantically.

"I have yet to know..." Heero answered. "I did not see fit to ask. I was called down there to escort a hysterical Duo from the room so Sally could operate in peace."

"Oh gods! Duo knows she's back?" 

"Yes. He's the one who brought her in. I had to put a tranquilizer in him to get him out however, so don't expect to go ask him anything in his present state."

"I wouldn't want to poor Duo...Do you think I could go see her?"

Heero shook his head. "Not till I get word that she is okay."

Relena sat down in her chair again and propped her forehead up in her palms. "Oh gods above...She's back...She's alive and back..." She looked up at Heero. "Does this mean that the New White Fang-" 

Heero nodded slowly. "Does not have their best ultimate soldier and we now will have the upper hand of the battle." He finished for her.

Relena sat silently letting the information sink in and wondering what moves she was open to make now. Heero watched her for a little bit then made an excuse to go check on Duo and left the office. Relena watched him leave and sighed. "I hope she gets better soon. I must speak with her."

Heero hurried down the hall to Duo's room and peeked inside. He was still out. He would be for a couple hours. Those tranquilizers were no joke. But Heero knew Duo needed it, he knew he hadn't slept correctly in the two years after Hilde had been stolen away. He knew because he hadn't either. As Heero turned around Quatre came up to him.

"What's all the ruckus about Heero?" He asked rubbing his eyes.

Heero looked at Quatre with a silent disposition for a moment, then very quickly he answered "Hilde has been found." Just as he had answered Relena.

Quatre's eyes also went wide. "She has?! That's wonderful news! Where is she? How is She? Does Duo know?!" He asked quickly. 

He was answered by the soft melancholy voice of Trowa as he ascended the stairs behind them. "She's in the infirmary right now Quatre, I am sorry to say she is not doing to well. She lost a lot of blood before she came here and she needs a blood transfusion. Sally is checking her blood type and looking for a match as I speak. Yes, Duo does know...He brought her in from the rain at two ten. But Duo had to be put down with a tranquilizer because he was becoming frantic."

Quatre's eyes grew wider. "Oh dear...that's not good at all..."

"It gets worse." Heero said very quietly. 

"How's that?" Quatre asked turning back to Heero.

"Her colors are all wrong...and she has malnutrition. She hasn't eaten correctly in a while and is very thin."

"Her colors are wrong? What on Earth do you mean by that?" Quatre asked.

"Her hair-is pure white." Heero answered.

Trowa nodded at this. "Her eyes are also lime green...Sally checked them." Heero and Quatre stared at Trowa as he said this. "I just came up her to deliver the news of how she is. I must return now and get further information on her condition." He said and turned to walk back downstairs.

Heero watched him go and inclined his head to look at Duo's door. Quatre followed his line of vision and realized what he was thinking. "Heero, I'll stay in there with him and confront him when he wakes up." He offered.

Heero's face turned stoically back to consider Quatre for a moment then looked off down the hall. He nodded. "Do that." He said and turned to walk off. 

Quatre nodded slightly and went to sit in Duo's room and await him to wake up.

~*~

Quatre had been sitting in the room for a little less than an hour when Trowa knocked quietly at the door. He got up and opened it letting the taller boy in. "Well?" Quatre asked.

"She will be fine physically." Trowa answered.

Quatre nodded. "Good, Sally found the right type of blood?" 

Trowa nodded. "She has an IV and its feeding her body nutrients it lost in the past week. She had been emaciated for lack of food."

There was a groan from the bed and Quatre and Trowa turned to witness Duo raise himself up on his hands and hold his head. Quatre walked over to him. "Duo-your awake...How do you feel?"

"Like a shit hole.." Duo groaned. "What the fuck happened?" He asked sitting on his knees his hands propped on the mattress. Then as if answering his own question his head shot up straight. "Where's Hilde?!" He said.

"The same place you left her, Duo." The sound of Wufei's voice echoed into the room as the door was subtly pushed open by the Chinese pilot.

All three turned to look up at him. "Heero told you she was found I guess." Quatre said, making a statement more then a question.

Wufei nodded. "Yes he told me."

Duo shot up off the bed. "Well take me to her! I want to see her! Where is she?"

"Hold up Duo!" Wufei said shoving his hand up to stop the boy from busting out the door. "She's not in a good predicament right now to be seen by visitors."

"I don't care Wufei. I must see her..." He growled lowly. "Get out of my way." With that he pushed past Wufei and went off down the stairs.

Wufei watched him and smirked. "He's not going to like what he finds down there." He said half to himself.

"Why? What's wrong?" Quatre asked coming up behind Wufei to look as well.

"She doesn't remember a damn thing." Wufei said loosing his smirk and following the braided pilot to the infirmary.

Quatre looked at Trowa who looked calmly back and they turned to follow the two other men. "Wufei, what do you mean she doesn't remember a damn thing?" Quatre asked catching up to the Chinese boy.

"Just what I said." Wufei answered smartly. "She doesn't remember us, him or anything else prior to her kidnapping two years ago. At all. Of course she's been slipping in and out of consciousness so we do not have a clear idea of what she really does or does not remember." 

"That sounds terrible..." Quatre said. 

"It gets worse." He responded.

"How?" Trowa asked curious now himself.

"The serum the New White Fang gave her is what we think is the cause for her amnesia, and there's no known cure. She might be stuck not remembering her real past for the rest of her life." Wufei said as they reached the infirmary. 

They entered and spied Duo quietly sitting beside the girl's bed, his face a vivid blank expression, chin resting on the top of his hands watching the tiny girl under furrowed brows. Relena and Heero were there too, on the other side of the bed watching also with quiet intensity and expectancy. By her head a heart monitor throbbed and beeped a normal pulse sound and an IV linked her vein to the bag holding the replacement blood. Wufei and Trowa took respective places along the length of the wall and Quatre stepped up to stand beside Duo and wait for her to awaken.

A half hour past and there was a slight movement on the blankets. Her shoulders wiggled, her eyes scrunched up and Duo sat up straight watching. "She's waking up!" He said to alert the others.

Trowa's head lifted from his seeming fascination with the tiled floor. Heero turned from staring blindly out the window. Relena put her paper down. Quatre sat up straighter leaving off his fiddling with a hospital instrument and Wufei turned sharply with his freshly poured coffee in hand and presently sneered, "at last...I was going to put her out of her misery if she didn't soon."

Duo shot him a look as Hilde's eyes suddenly flew open of their own accord to reveal the stunningly, unnatural, lime green irises below the lids of her petite face. She sat up quickly, abruptly, ripping the IV from her arm as she did so with purpose. Duo stood up and stepped back a bit startled by her sudden reflexes. Her eyes traveled silently around the room surveying the company within it. Everyone bit back a gasp as they saw those unusually bright emerald eyes, taking turns to stop and look at each person with a certain distrust and question etched into them. "Who are you and where am I?" Her voice was low, a hiss almost, dripping in admonition. Her eyes narrowed at the few who stood apart nonchalantly watching her, making the green depths sparkle with reproach. 

A boy with a long toffee colored rope of hair came to her side, slowly-warily, his azure-violet orbs set to look into hers. Her memory scanned recent events because she some how she remembered the face and body that he presented to her now. Her mind came to rest on last night. "You..." She said cagily herself. 

He smiled at her, an enchanting rich but sad smile, apparently happy that she recalled who he was. "Yes, me..." He said slowly, his voice young but with a rough smoothness to it. 

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here? Who are these people?" She responded scornfully watching as his smile died away somewhat at her questions.

"You don't remember?" He said pushing his spiky soft bangs from his eyes. "Hilde-you don't remember me?" 

She stared at the boy before her. "Oh sure I remember you, from last night. What did you do to me? What did any of you do to me last night?" She glanced around the room with strong suspicion wafting into her face.

Duo sat back a little shocked and unable to answer. "She-she doesn't-she doesn't remember..."

Another boy, this one with well defined arms and upper body, longish, spiky, wild hair and the most gorgeous blue eyes came up behind the braided boy and looked down upon her with a pasty glare of no human feeling. She stared up at him wearing the exact same look he gave her. "Hilde..." He said in a deep, monotonous voice.

"How do you know my name? Who are you?" She asked in the same tone of voice that made the braided boy and another boy, a platinum blonde with pretty blue-green eyes, flinch.

"Do you remember anything?" He asked ignoring her questions for the third time. Hilde was getting pissed, but seeing as there were six of them compared to the one of her and she felt incredibly weak, she did not let it show. Weak? She suddenly remembered the wound she had received from the White Fang special officers who had been hunting her down since her escape. Ignoring the bishounen in front of her she reached her hand down to feel at her gunshot wound. Her eyes widened as she found it bandaged up and bleeding little. 

"Did you do this?" She pointed at her abdomen, bandaged up as she stared up at the boy in front of her. He shook his head, then pursed his lips.

"Sally did." He answered her flatly.

"Sally? Who is Sally?" She growled looking back down and poking at her bandage. 

"Do you?" He repeated bringing her back to where she was. Her eyes narrowed again.

"Do I what?" 

"Remember Hilde. Do you remember anything?"

"I remember the last two years, beyond that I have no recollection of anything. As well I shouldn't, I am a drone used for war and was made only for that purpose. I had nothing before my two years of training." She growled. "And now if you please, I have answered your question, answer my questions! Who are you and where am I?"

The boy's eyes grew hard and even more unfeeling than before, if it were possible, as they bore down on her. The braided boy stifled a gasp, and the woman with honey colored hair and aquamarine eyes approached him to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Should I know you?" She asked then harshly.

A fourth boy stepped forward from the back holding a cup of coffee. He was lean, lithe and well built as well. His large ebony eyes scanned her and his perfectly black hair was swept back in a tight, short ponytail in the back of his head, obviously oriental. He looked over at the blue-eyed boy and he gave a short irritated side glance back. The oriental boy turned back to face her and bowed slightly. "I am Chang Wufei. These morons don't know how to be formal, especially with a lady."

There was a feral growl that arose from her left, where the braided boy had sat down again with quiet persistence of the honey blonde. She ignored it and nodded at Chang. "All right, that's one." She said regarding the rest of the assembly with a tight look.

"Heero Yuy," He said pointing at the stoic blue-eyed boy behind the braided one. "That is Quatre Rabarba Winner," He indicated the blonde boy "Trowa Barton," He nodded toward a boy who was elegantly tall with a silky, sheet of chestnut bangs covering one of his exquisite lush green eyes. Then extending his hand slightly to indicate the woman behind the braided boy he said, "This is Relena Peacecraft."

Hilde gasped slightly. "Relena Peacecraft? The very one who was Queen of the world and leads the United Earth Sphere Alliance, and the one White Fang wishes to topple and take over Earth and space in doing so?"

Relena nodded her mouth slightly agape at Hilde's knowledge. "Yes I am, but I thought you knew nothing of years before the past two?" She asked speaking for the first time, her voice like sugary candy.

"That is true Miss Peacecraft." Hilde responded her eyes growing dark as she peered at Relena over her lashes. "However, in the two years I, of course, have been taught much, a great deal about the enemy I was bound to kill with my own hands and gain back the power and rule for White Fang." 

Relena gasped quietly and staved off a bit from the bed side. 

Hilde then ignored the woman who had backed away into Heero and turned her attention to the violet eyed boy who sat stunned and staring at her, his mouth barely open in fixation. "Now, could you tell me who the demon creature is who was obviously the one who brought me to where ever I am?" She asked huskily, roughly, staring at him as if searing his soul with her impaling, shimmering, green gaze. 

Duo's face grew taught and hard looking then. "My name is Duo Maxwell." He said suddenly brash and raw in his tone. "And yours, we know all to well is Hilde Schibecker." His indigo-violets giving her a back stare to challenge her own. Cleaving through her own soul with the intensity of thousands of purple stars burning in the sky.

"I know my name." She retorted sadistically. "And it is quite apparent you all know it as well." She tore her eye lock with Duo to spare a glance around the room. "How you know it is beyond me, however. I have never met any of you before in my short span of life."

Duo groaned and her eyes snapped back to him. "Hilde how can you not remember? I-we have searched for you for two long years that feels like a millennia-then when we finally find you again-you don't even know who I am." His eyes closed and his head drooped to rest on an extended hand that was resting on his knee.

Hilde frowned at this. "Should I know any of you?" She asked suddenly unsure of herself.

All around there were nods and small 'yeses' to accompany them. She moved up on the mattress to lean against the pillow as she stared confused and vacant at the people in the strange room with her. Quatre stepped forward and sat on the end of the bed. "Hilde-we were your best friends before two years ago. You knew us, trusted us and loved us...can you at least try to remember?" He lay a hand on her leg, as that was the closest part of her to him, to help her decide.

Heero nodded his assent to what Quatre just said. "Yes, Hilde. Do try to remember-if not for the sake of us, than the sake of yourself."

"We could use you now in any case." Wufei said shortly. "With your new training and your 'ultimate' soldier capabilities we could crush the new White Fang and end this blasted thing."

Duo's eyes flicked about his friends as Trowa and Relena joined in to ask her to try and remember her true past, her friends. He looked at her forlornly as her eyes swiveled here and there as more pleas for her to try were asked of her. Her unnatural, lime greens finally found his indigo-violets and stared deep into them, creating a spell of entrancement and a twisted feeling in his stomach that he had never felt before. The twisting feeling grew sharper and flew to his heart and head as she continued to stare at him, making him feel things he had _never_ felt before. His voice suddenly fell out of his partly opened lips in unison with the others asking her to remember.

As Hilde stared at Duo watching things pass over his face that she had never seen before her head began to swim. When he began speaking as well her mind seemed to single out his voice alone. Suddenly a wave of pictures flew into her mind. Pictures and emotions, feelings, faces, places, people, things, ideas-bombarding her head mercilessly. She shut her eyes at suddenly the searing pain and screeched instinctively bringing her hands to her head and clutching at it tightly. The others stopped and watched as her lively eyes again grew pink and as she did this she hardly noticed. Her head hurt and she made it clear. "-I--I can't!" She strained out through clenched teeth the pain overwhelming her senses completely. "-I-I c-can't-re-remember...It hurts-Oh god it hurts... Please stop..." She whimpered and cried out feebly, gasping as the pictures sliced her head to pieces. 

Duo was quick in motion and grabbed her pain-wracked body holding her tightly and securely in his arms. He placed his chin on her white head and hugged tightly, caressing her back and rocking her back and forth soothing her troubled mind with his soft voice. Eventually her mind slowly came to a halt and all the visions were gone, her mind empty and free once more. She instinctively clutched at whatever had wrapped around her and just lay there her eyes wide with passionate pain still etched lightly across her face. 

The others stood aghast at what they had just witnessed, slowly waking up from the evilness of it. Sally had come in at the screeching noise that had emanated from Hilde's tiny larynx. "What happened?" She asked her eyes wide.

"Hilde tried to remember her past and it backfired apparently." Trowa said his calm voice deceiving the look of pure surprise in his face.

Hilde listened none to carefully to the hum of conversation around her-her mind tired and wanting to shut off for a while from trying to remember so much. She rested limply in whatever or whoever held her in the tight, warm embrace her eyes hazy and half-open in the twilight stage of sleep.

Duo watched and listened as Sally reprimanded them all for trying to do that. But his attention was drawn from Sally as Hilde began to breathe evenly and shallowly in his arms. He looked down at her to find she was asleep. He gave a tiny wan smile as he caressed her cheek softly, Sally and the others voices drifting away so that some how he felt it was just him and her. His heart, mind and stomach twisted into a hard knot again as he watched her quietly, again feeling the strange emotions he had never felt looking at her before. 

Her head shifted in his arms so that her face was facing his and her mouth slightly parted as she took in each breath. Her eyes closed delicately over her eyes. Without thinking, and a seemingly mere reflex he slowly bent his head. He had no idea what he was doing-till suddenly: "Maxwell! Are you listening to me?" 

His head sharply arose a rosy hue to his cheeks now as he realized what he was about to do. "Yes Sally ma'am." He said and gingerly put Hilde down into her coverlets and stood up.

"Then get your butt out with the rest of you and let me take care of the girl." She said pointing at the door.

The party of six nodded and slowly exited the door, Duo last taking a last look at the girl he'd been searching for, for two years instantly forgetting what he had just tried to do, and slipped out with the rest.

~*~Chap. 5 fin.~*~ 


	6. The Battle with Chang Wufei and The New ...

Chapter Six: Battle With Chang Wufei and The New White Fang's Commander

The next morning Hilde awoke in the infirmary with a start. She shot up and held her head-still throbbing lightly with pain from yesterday's occurrences. She slowly lifted her now pale, dull green eyes to pass a look at her surroundings. It was a beautiful little hospital room, with a few other occupied beds. Those beds held wounded soldiers from the battles with White Fang. 

Smirking at the apparent loosing situation of the Sanq she swung her legs off the side of the bed. 'How thoughtful,' she thought as she peered about. 'They left me clothes.' Grabbing the clothes they had left her she looked at them and cringed a bit. She held up a purple cashmere sweater that would obviously slip off her shoulders, a pair of black slacks, and a pair of white-heeled boots decorated with an ankle high cuff at the top and a raspberry beret. 'Talk about taste!' She thought with a grimace. 'These are so eighties!' Another glance around she spotted her duffel bag and grinned. 'Well might as well keep them. Might come in handy later.' She took the clothes and stuffed them in her bag then dug around in it and pulled out her blue halter top with a triangle like end in front, her leather jacket, black jeans and gray knee high, heeled boots. Taking off her white hospital tunic, she placed the halter top over her chest and deftly tied it in the back. Then slid the jeans on and the leather jacket over her top. Sitting on the side of the bed she pulled on the boots and stood up wandering to a mirror to fix her hair. "Not that there's much to fix..." she muttered to her reflection.

Walking swiftly to the door she grabbed her bag and silently opened it, sticking her head carefully out to make sure no one was around to see her leave. She had to, White Fang was on to her and if she stayed in any one spot to long they'd get her. Seeing no one she silently slipped out into the massive marble hall. Looking about to determine her way she was absolutely stunned by the size and beauty of the place. 

"Damn...whoever owns this joint sure has a lot of cash..." She commented to herself as she groped her way through the hall. It was early yet, so no one was up-or so she figured. She had to leave soon, she'd been here much to long already. Question was, how did she find her way out? This place was immense. 

She wandered the halls, in and out of rooms and closets and such till she heard a noise behind a door that sounding of grunting and thumps of a body hitting a wood floor. She cocked her brow and maneuvered closer to the source. It was locked behind an immense double wooden door that was beautifully crafted. She came up close to it and pushed it in slightly peering into the room beyond. What met her eyes was a gorgeous gym, with everything anyone could possibly want for a workout, and glass doors beyond leading out to an indoor swimming pool and glass French doors beyond that which led out to tennis courts. However the thing that actually caught her attention more then the decor of the gym was the boy inside it. A fair good looking Asian boy with taut, slightly shimmering muscles-due to sweat-that were perfectly outlined on his chest, he looked no older than she. He had an ebony black katanna in his hand and he was practicing with it, gracefully and sleek like a cat, he moved and spun and twisted making the movements of the ancient oriental art of the sword. She wanted to observe more, so silently she slipped into the gym and leaned against a wall, leather covered arms crossed over her blue halter topped chest, eyes seemingly cast down and shadowed by her white bangs, but in truth watching the Chinese boy expertly-carefully, with admiration.

When he was finished he stopped and bowed, his hands clasped at his heart. That's when she smiled and clapped. Hearing the applause he whirled around to face her his katanna drawn yet again. "Wha-?" He said as he spun to face her. When he saw whom it was he dropped his sword by his side and glared. "Oh, it's you, is it?" He asked planting his left hand on his waist. 

Hilde smirked and stood to bow. "Were you expecting the braided fool, maybe?" She asked as she stood again.

At this Wufei let a smirk escape his lips. "Maybe," he answered. "But why are you up and about onna? You should be still resting. You have not had the appropriate amount of time to heal your wounds." He began again to practice with the katanna. 

Hilde watched him carefully, taking note of his flaws and answered quietly with a small grin lining her mouth. "Yes, I have. I should not have been in there the amount of time I was. I should have left as soon as I came to, if I don't leave soon, the New White Fang will be upon you like a magnet."

Wufei eyed her carefully and continued his practice. "I don't know whether to call you brave, or a coward." He responded.

"How about neither." She retorted as she walked over and picked up another katanna off the wall rack that was in the gym and came to face him face to face hers held out in ready stance. "How about we see if I can beat or match you and then you do not call me by my gender." She grinned at him as Wufei stared at the katanna in her hands. He stood up straight. 

"I do not wish to fight a woman, they are weak in battle and make foolish choices. They have no sense of veracity on the battlefield, they would sooner let a man go then kill him even if he were to try to kill her." He stated and withdrew his katanna.

"Oh? Is that a fact?" Hilde asked feeling a bit irritated at his lack of vision. Wufei nodded his head once and Hilde's brow creased. As he turned to leave Hilde calmly walked in front of him and held out her katanna again, placing the point right at his chest her left arm hung by her side. "One swift move Mr. Chang and I could have you gutted and on this pretty floor in not very pretty pieces." She hissed a grin on her lips again. "Now, if you truly believe what you just told me, you will prove it-by fighting with me. If you win I will believe what you said and leave without shame. If I win, you will take a more in depth look into the woman before you judge her, and not call me by my gender."

Wufei cracked a smirk. "You are digging yourself a grave onna." He said and whipped his katanna back out. "Fine, very well, I accept your challenge-but prepare to loose. The only person I have ever lost to was Treize Khushrananda. And he is dead..."

"Hunh..." Hilde grunted and they went to it.

Wufei made the first attack, jumping up and coming down on her with lightning speed. She anticipated this and swept away easily, and as he came down spinning a cut to his upper arm. He dodged this maneuver by changing the direction of his landing just a little and landing beside her. He swung up making for a side slice to the head but she ducked, and tripped him. He stumbled and she cursed because it wasn't successful. He retaliated with a running slice, katanna at his side as he ran up to her his face contorted in a battle cry. She saw him coming and front flipped over his charging frame, landing behind him as he quickly spun to face her again. She came at him with an undercut, attempting to slash through and get his stomach. Again it failed as he spun out of her way and used the hilt to smash her back down. She fell flat, but did not loose possession of her katanna, and quickly turning face up stopped his katanna before it came down on her with a quick block. She grinned at him and he just glared at her. She used her leg and flipped him over her head so he landed on his back behind her. She quickly picked herself up, as did he and they charged again.

Their swords clashed and, clashed again. She took his force and using it to her own advantage on the third clash, shoved him off sending him reeling to gain his balance once again. She made an upward cut and missed, because he spun around her and made a downward cast, drawing first blood. She spun on him and slapped him away with her katanna. "Ah, you are good...You drew first blood Wufei. I commend you." She said. He said nothing and charged her again. This time she used the tactic he'd just used on her back and drew blood from him, and slipping back extending her katanna toward the ceiling, placing her left hand along the blade she grinned from behind it. "But sadly, not good enough..." Wufei just grinned at her as she made a flip and landing in front of him made a sideswipe at him. He dodged and made a sideswipe at her. She dodged as well and spun around him taking her tripping up again and flipped him over this time. He rolled back to a sitting position and made a swipe at her legs. She back flipped away and stood there. He picked himself up and front flipping landed in front of her and gashing her face. She staggered backward a bit and fell. He came up to her and put his katanna to her throat. She just grinned at him and holding her marred cheek again made to trip him. Then her leg shot up and kicked his chin and she sat on her haunches making another under swipe kick, killing his balance entirely. She grabbed her fallen katanna and expertly recovered herself. She stood quickly and as he recovered and made a very fast grab for the blade, she pushed his katanna away with her foot. 

She held her blade to his throat and placed her heeled boot on his chest. "Well, well, well. Look at who won!" She smirked. "I suppose this means men are inferior to women now huh?" 

Wufei growled at first. "All right...Hilde...It seems you have beaten me..." He acknowledged. "You are very different from any woman I've ever met. I'll admit that much."

Right then there was a gasp and clapping from the side of the room. Both kids turned to see they had some how accumulated an audience and in the heat of their battle had not noticed. "Well, that's a new one! Wufei is complimenting a woman!" Sally's voice said as she clapped.

"Yeah, and beaten by one too! And Hilde none the less!" Duo responded enthusiastically.

Hilde did not blush; she did not bow or even thank the two for their appreciative bawling. She just let the blade and her arm fall to her side and her foot came off of Wufei's chest. Wufei sat up with a snarl evident on his face, but said nothing.

"What do you want, woman...and you braided fool?" He asked brushing off his white pants and wiping the blood Hilde had drawn.

"We wanted to know where the patient was." Sally stated becoming serious. "She is not to be up and about yet; she is not in the right condition." Sally looked meaningfully at Wufei, who glared straight back.

"Onna, do not look at me. She is the one who came in here and challenged me. I told her she should not have been up." He responded.

"But you didn't enforce that she go back did you?" Sally said becoming irate. "No, you took her offer, even though you knew her condition and fought. Where did your honor go Wufei?" 

Wufei's brow twitched. "My honor is perfectly intact woman!" He blared. "She challenged me! My honor would have been broken if I had not accepted! You know nothing!"

While this occurred, Hilde shrugged and nursing the wounds Wufei's blade had caused had grabbed her bag and begun to walk out the French glass doors on the other side of the gym. Duo spotted her leaving. "Hey! Yo! Hilde wait!" He ran after her and grabbed her arm when she didn't turn to acknowledge him. "Where do you think your going in this condition Hilde?" He asked her seriously.

She looked up at him with a pure look of indifference plastered on her face that mirrored Heero's famous look. "Leaving." She said flatly. "If I stay here the New White Fang will crush you all. I've been here to long as it is. I thank you all for the help you've given me, but I still do not know any of you, and I can't trust anyone, so I am leaving." 

Duo's face contorted at her words. "Oi, Hilde! How can you not remember...?" He asked himself more then her. His face was half shadowed out by his long spiky bangs as he asked.

"Remember-Duo? Remember what? If I even try to, it hurts like blazing hell!" She growled and wrenched her arm from his hand. "And maybe I just don't want to remember." He grabbed her again.

"Hilde-you don't mean that, that's only what White Fang has told you! Don't listen to them-they are trying to destroy Relena's hard earned peace again. Hilde, we were your friends before White Fang got a hold of you. We are still your friends now! You don't have to remember; you should know in your heart the truth." He said.

Hilde smirked. "Such a beautiful speech, Duo. But sadly it's false. I know now that White Fang is the evil in light of the good of Ms. Peacecraft, but even so. I decided that I did not wish to remember my original past, if even I had one. Now let me free." And again she ripped from Duo's grasp and began for the French doors again.

"You're just like Heero." Duo muttered as she passed.

She spun on him. "I'm what?" She hissed.

"Just like Heero." He reiterated turning on her. "You're a soulless, mindless, emotionless fool. You are only a machine now. No longer human-no longer capable of feeling...Hilde you are dead, just like Heero."

The name 'Heero' struck a chord in Hilde somewhere in her brain, and something snapped. "Heero...Heero Yuy..." She mumbled. 

"What?" Duo asked, becoming irate himself.

It started again. Pain from her head engulfed her senses, her mind trying to force images upon her. This time she could make out a pale angular face, with deep, dark, secretive, Prussian blue eyes and a mop of messy, chocolate, brown hair atop his head. But that's all she could get from the images. She screamed as the pain became more intense, and barely noticed that she'd dropped to her knees and there were three different people holding her-trying to get her to stop. The pain became too much and once again blackness overtook her and she fell into a fitful unconsciousness.

~*~

Rodney stormed about. "Where on Earth could that woman have gone?" He scowled. "How did she get out?! What were you freaks doing to let her escape? She was the main key to all of this you know!"

"We are sorry Mr. Lewis...But she took us by surprise. Your serum worked all to well I think." Said one of the guards.

"She has been training here for two years; maybe she figured that she would escape after her training, because we do train the best of the best here. You know you took in part to the training of that boy, Heero Yuy, when Dr. J brought him in." A feminine voice said from the shadows. 

"Commander!" Lewis said spinning to face the shadowed figure. "You're not angry with me then?" He said bowing slightly even though the lady did not come into view.

"No, Lewis. This just proves how perfect your serum actually is, if she can get by _our_ security. Miss Schibecker always was a hacker and stealth personal. That boy, the pilot of the Gundam DeathScythe, he was a good teacher to enhance her stealth capabilities." She said placing one white-gloved hand on her hip.

"All we have to do now is continue the search for her, find her and bring her back. I'm sure that she will be quicker witted and much smarter now that the child has been exposed to the wild, and it proves true as she's evaded us for so long. But it's all for the better in the long run, it means she will have all these self-learned abilities to add to and help her in the final battle." The woman smirked.

"But we've searched nearly everywhere Miss we can't find her! I believe we trained her a little to well." Lewis replied.

The woman now grimaced at Rodney's apparent idiocy. "You fool! Don't forget where the girl came from. Some where deep in the recesses of her mind it will most likely tell her to go to some place where she subconsciously knows friends will be there to help. She may not remember them, but she instinctively knows they are there! The serum just erased her memories not her instincts!" 

"Ah...yes I see. That means since she is obviously still on Earth she must have gone to the Sanq Kingdom." Lewis arrived at the commander's point.

"Yes, exactly. Miss Relena will be very grateful to have Hilde back in safe pretenses. And Heero, who still knows of you and your work because you failed to catch him and the pilot of the 03 unit, Trowa Barton, will try to use her for their side." The commander said.

"That would be a smart idea, they would have the best of the Ultimate soldiers working on their side." Lewis responded.

"Yes, so the only thing we have to do is kidnap her bring her back here and erase her memories of them again."

"No, it will be even simpler, Miss. It shall be simpler than that even." Lewis told her confidently.

"Oh? How so?" She asked, still she had not moved into the light of the conference room.

"In anticipation for an event such as that Hilde switched sides some how, I had a device implanted in her head. One push of a button and she will listen to anything you say, and believe it." Lewis answered, indicating a little recorder shaped thing in the palm of his hand. "The problem being is it only works at certain distances and any microwave signal or such cannot interfere with it but it will work, and she will be part of our faction forever. It's other problem is it has a permanent mind damaging effect if you use it for a extended period of the given safety time." He grinned at the shadowed woman who had taken a seat in the head chair of the table. The light only reflecting off her small, delicate pink lips as they curled into a malicious grin as she listened to the scientist tell her about the device he had implanted in Hilde's head.

"That has no consequence. For after this battle is won, there will be no more need for drones. She can be cast out."

"But-commander! She was my first creation! -You can't just-"

"Third, Mr. Lewis."

"What?"

"She was your third creation that made any sort of impact on this world. The first two being those of the pilot of the unit Zero One and the pilot of the unit HeavyArms, and you know it as well as I."

"Yes ma'am...But she was the first creation I made that has actually become of any use to this faction or me. She is kind of like a daughter to me."

"Sacrifices must be made, Mr. Lewis, to instill the success of the colony's victory over Miss Peacecraft and the Earth Sphere."

"Your heartless..." He hissed.

"Yes, I am. I have to be to command the New White Fang. I helped to design her, so she is kind of my daughter too. It does hurt to have to let one of your own go, but if that's what it takes we must. This Ultimate soldier plan if this first one does not fall through correctly-it's on to the next plan. And I need you for it, and you know it. Now, give me the device and send people to the Sanq to recover our precious prodigy 'daughter' from Heero and Queen Relena's hands."

"Yes'um..." he said and bowed out of the room.

The woman then rose from her chair and walked to a surveillance screen in the room and watched silently as Hilde stealthily made her way through the base, letting only little things like her foot, or the occasional finger show through out the tapes. She curled her slender fingers around the device she had gotten from Rodney and smirked as she changed the screen to flash a bright picture of Relena Peacecraft across it, with a slight hint of Heero-her ever-vigilant protector in the background.

"Soon Miss Relena. Soon you will see the errors of your ways in uniting the colonies and Earth. We were meant to be independent. Hilde-for the colony's sake, one of your very own, will help us win our victory." She clutched the little device to her breast and let out a high pitched laugh and turned away heading out of the conference room. 

~*~Chap. 6 fin.~*~


	7. Shinigami Shows and Another Piece to the...

Chapter Seven: Shinigami Shows and Another Piece to the Puzzle

She awoke hours later, finding her head cradled by a warm body. She abruptly sat up discovering the braided fool fitfully sleeping with his head propped up against the wall that the bed was against. She hissed inwardly and backed up. She noticed that the room she was in now was a great bedroom, with many beautiful decorations adorning the walls, pictures and tapestries of sorts and a large white carpet on the floor. She and Duo sat in a huge comfortable canopy bed with a bedside table on one side and a chest of drawers on the other.

She looked at the boy who was whimpering in his sleep; his brow creased deep with something unfathomable. She rolled her eyes and dragged him under the covers, placing them on top of him and got up. Again she had been detained far to long. Each minute here put these people in danger! But this being the third time trying to leave she probably would be caught again. She went to the door of the room and cracked it a bit to peer out. Her nose crinkled when she saw that the stoic boy with messy hair was standing guard right outside. She went to the window, and looking down out of it discovered the boy with incredibly long bangs was keeping a vigilant watch below her. 

"Shit fucker on a stick." She hissed and went to the bathroom instead. She needed a shower anyway, she'd figure out how to dispose of the two vigilantes while hot water coursed down her.

Duo woke to the soothing sound of a shower running. His eyes slid open to find that the little mouse that had been there when he dosed off was gone. He yawned-it not clicking quite yet-and stretched. In mid-stretch he stopped and spun to look at the empty spot beside him, and he panicked.

"Hilde?! Hilde?!" He searched the blankets as if she could fold up flat and disappear in them. "Hilde where are you?" He shot up off of the bed, not even noticing that the shower had been switched off and that someone was leaning on the bathroom doorframe watching him fly into hysterics for no reason she could fathom. "Hilde!"

A sigh, a flick of the wrist, the light in the bathroom off and an exasperated tone from her made Duo spin around so fast he fell. "I'm here, oh braided-wonder." She replied monotone.

"Hilde...don't go doing that on me! I thought you'd left or been stolen again." He said awkwardly, and just as awkwardly picking himself up off the floor.

"I went to take a shower. I'm sure you heard the water running. And anyway, if I had left or been stolen again don't you think one of your two watchdogs sitting around would have come to tell you or something?" She indicated the door and window where Heero and Trowa were sitting outside each. Duo just looked at her now and said nothing. She sighed, irritated. "Anyway, I really have to get out of here. Now. So if you don't mind I'd like to get dressed, so you can leave and take your pilot friends with you if you don't mind so I don't have to crack any heads when I do go."

Duo frowned and stood his ground. "No, you are not leaving." He said with finality to his voice few had heard.

"You dare tell me I can't leave? I'm trying to save your puny lives by leaving you dolt." She said vehemently.

He walked up to her then and grabbed her arm again and pulled her to look him in the face. "No." He repeated. "We can handle them-fend them off if need be, but you are not leaving again. Do you know what kind of anguish I-we all went through when you were abducted? How long we've been searching for you? How many nights I've laid awake praying you'd come back safe and sound and then when you do-and you try to leave again?" He shook his head. "Not this time Hilde-girl. You're not putting your life on the line for anyone or me again. We will win this...together if need be." 

Hilde stared at the boy in front of her holding her arm. Never since she first heard of Rodney's plans for her had she heard so much conviction and determination in a man's voice. She shuddered slightly at the thought of Rodney. He continued again, breaking her train of thought and bringing her attentions back to him.

"I told Heero of what you and Wufei did this morning-he's convinced more then ever that you would prove to be a great asset in the battle we're facing against the new White Fang. I told him I didn't want you anywhere in it, but he insists...he wants to test your mobile suit skills..." He finished facing away from her now, letting her see how very apparent it was he did not want her in this war at all. Yet, why would he care? She didn't know him...did she? 

Feeling overwhelmed and confused she sat on the bed and thanked the lord that another memory attack didn't hit her. She pursed her lips and looked at him. "Heero wants me to help your side doesn't he?" She asked flipping her white bangs from her green eyes.

Duo nodded bleakly in response turning back to face her. He was about to say something but she cut him off with a murderous grin. "I'll do it. I'll show him how I do in a mobile suit. I suppose he wants to test me against his skills huh?" Again Duo nodded in reply and again attempted to say something but again was cut off by her. "Yea, I'll do it. I don't want this war any more than you do. I was trained as the highest of the high and was made to be the first and most faultless Ultimate Soldier...This would give me the perfect chance to actually test that theory and see if I truly am what Rodney Lewis said I was."

"But you can't!" Duo finally managed to blurt out. "I don't want you dead! You can't do it Hilde! I forbid it!"

Hilde looked at him again and gave him what appeared to be a soft, reassuring smile. "You can't forbid me, Duo. You don't run my life, I don't even remember you and you say we've met before...So why should I listen? Plus, if the whole Ultimate Soldier thing is true, I can't loose to Heero Yuy."

"That's not it Hilde." He admonished. "I have no doubt you could beat Heero, but Heero is only one, and if you join us you will fight more than many and that's where I'm afraid I'll loose you again."

She smirked again jumping up and going to the bathroom to change quickly. "Then I'll fight you all one at a time and slowly move up to fight all of you. You are supposedly the best of the best, and I believe that if I beat all of you-I'll have no problem with the new White Fang!" 

"But-" That's all Duo got out before she rushed out of the bathroom and to the door flinging it open and closed as she immediately began speaking with Heero. Duo sighed again. 'She always was headstrong and stubborn...' he thought, peering out the window and watching Relena walk in among the flowers in the court yard, talking quietly to Trowa. 'But, even if she can beat all of us together-that doesn't mean she has a chance alone against all of the new White Fang and the other "Ultimate Soldiers."'

~*~

She began her tests with Heero that day. Heero wanted to wait, to have her train up-he didn't really believe that she was better than him-but she insisted on that day, so that she could leave the Sanq faster and be over and done with this all.

Leap, twist, thrusters, extended beam saber, smash, twist again, fly up, slam down, quick spin, slice, fire, slice, twist, thrusters, slamming slice...the battle went on like this for a while, things were on the even side for a long time. Hilde seemed to be Heero's equivalent for a time, till Hilde did a move Heero had never dreamed of making, proving Hilde to be the better soldier. She was facing the Taurus they were using for training, waiting patiently for Heero to make his move-when he did, he came barreling at her saber raised ready to strike like a cobra. Expecting a move like this Hilde stood her ground and extended her saber at the near last minute, running the laser-beam straight through the torso of the suit. She then took the blade and quickly shimmied to the side with it still lodged in the suit, slicing it nearly in half. Then removing the saber as fast as lightning she moved it to the head and cut that straight off, driving the tip of the blade straight down the now severed neck of the mobile suit. Heero gasped as all this happened faster than he could comprehend. He quickly got the gist that his suit would explode in a matter of a few precious seconds and dislodged himself from the cockpit leaping to safety.

Hilde's Taurus just stood there as the opposing suit disintegrated to nothing in front of them. Inside the control tower Trowa watched her facial features carefully. Her face half hidden in shadow did not look pleasant, by all means it looked wildly evil. Her eye color had shot from a sharp lime green to a hollow shaded pink. She stared at the burning suit and a twisted smile appeared on her lips, her shoulders heaved slightly and her face seemed to glow with an insanity even Heero had not possessed. Trowa made a note of this-somewhere. It may have been a backfire of the serum that Rodney had not counted on...Insanity...It had happened to Heero-maybe with the new serum that side effect was increased ten-fold. 

Duo and Quatre hadn't taken any notice; Duo sat monitoring the suit's stability and moves. Quatre was taking note on the different tactics used during the battle. Wufei was just watching the fight with a small smirk on his lips. 

"I think she should be removed from the suit now..." He motioned to her Taurus. "I have a bad feeling that if she remains in it, she will loose all conscious moral thought and kill Heero."

Wufei looked at her on the screen. "Hnm-Get her out!" He ordered and people went to the suit and shut it down. Hilde came out-but by the time she stepped down she had green eyes once again and seemed perfectly rational.

"Well, how piteous." She said, "the perfect soldier down. Guess I take that rank now." She smirked and walked off the premises. Heero followed quickly at her heels.

"Hilde..." He said catching up with her, she moved quickly. She turned to look at him her bright eyes penetrating places that Relena's had never seen, and probably never will. "You have proved yourself a far better pilot then any of us could have hoped...We could really use you on the Sanq's forces-will you join us?"

Hilde's brow quirked. She let no emotion show, her face was completely blank now and her face was cold, uncaring and hard. "Maybe." 

Heero let a little air slip between his lips. "Think about it-it's all I ask." He turned quickly and walked in the other direction.

Something in the back of her mind prompted her to follow-but she ignored it. Something, somewhere told her she _had _known him, longer then Duo claimed he'd known her. But not wanting to start convulsions of a memory attack again she quickly shoved it from her mind and turned to walk out again. 

Duo awaited her just inside the doorway. As soon as she entered he pulled her aside roughly by the arm. She let out a slight gasp of surprise but didn't have time to object as he pulled her from the doorway to a side door in the vast hall and into a library of sorts. Once inside she yanked her arm from the boy's grasp and stared at him with ice in her face. "What do you think you are doing?" She hissed.

He turned to her with a hollow empty look to his purple-azure eyes. "You are staying." He said without giving a second thought to her question.

"I'm not making any promises." 

"I'm not asking you to, I'm telling you, and you are. You belong here! With us."

"And how are you going to stop me from leaving?"

"I have my ways, girl."

Hilde gave a short-lived chuckle and her brow shot up. "I just defeated the so-called "Perfect Soldier", earlier I defeated that Chinese boy in his own game of swords-how do you propose to stop me?" 

Duo's face still held the look of empty death as he regarded her with a quick upsweep of his eyes across her tiny body. Again he didn't answer her question; instead he advanced on her slowly. Not really perturbed Hilde stood her ground and looked at him with a cool indifference, her hand placed languidly on her left hip she shifted her body weight to that foot. Duo took absolutely no notice of this as he got closer. He stopped inches from her face; she looked up at him with a straight face-he brought his closer till their noses touched. This freaked her out at last and she snapped her head away and tried to jerk away from him. But he caught her by the arm and held her in his grasp so tight that she began to loose feeling in it. Then he spoke in a harsh, undertone face to face with her again.

"Scared aren't you?" He hissed. 

Hilde had no idea what to think of this...He was way to close she could feel his breath, his heart beating rapidly against her chest-what the fuck was this weird feeling creeping up her spine as he forced her to look into his soulless but intense eyes? She didn't move. Instinct told her that a predator was far to close and she stood stalk stone still.

Duo's mouth curved into a malicious smirk. "I told you I had my ways, girl...You will not leave that is an order."

Hilde's breath caught in her throat-what the hell was happening here? Usually she hated being told what to do-and anyone beyond her superior that told her what to do was dead within hours-well she hated him telling her what to do-but it some how felt different. She found her voice-and to her shock it was weak and trembling ever so slightly, but she managed to make an audible-threatening hiss: "You can't tell me what to do. I am not your slave, I'm not under your jurisdiction, and you are by far no means my superior-I will decide if I go or not."

Duo did not seem to like this answer. He growled maliciously-and swung her around slamming her into a bookshelf. "You are _not_ leaving me again! You hear me woman?"

Hilde gasped as her head slammed into a shelf jutting out and hit painfully. She made no verbal reply to what Duo said. Instead she turned her face and spat into his. "I will leave if I choose. You can not keep me here-I do not know you."

This seemed to break all resolve in Duo and nothing could have prepared her for what he did next. Shoving her small frame into the bookshelf behind her he brought his face dangerously close to hers-warning alarms went off in every direction in her head but to late. She stared at him with no idea what he was doing when he pressed his lips into hers and let out all and any pent up passion, longing and fear he had stored for the two years she had gone missing. Things went into that kiss he never knew had existed in him before.

Hilde had no idea what to do-she was shocked and stood stark still because of it. She had never known anything like this before, nothing from the past two years and if she had had any life before that, nothing that felt like this resurfaced now. It felt euphoric-and she couldn't make heads or tails of it. 

Suddenly, just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped. Duo pulled back breathing fast and looked like a demon. "You will not go through with this." He rasped out and let go of her and stormed out of the library leaving Hilde against the book shelf gasping and stunned out of her mind. 

"What the hell was that?!" She asked herself sliding to the floor and covering her face with her hand. Regaining herself slightly she wondered if that was what fear was. She'd never felt it-it was Earth shattering. She stumbled quietly out of the library. 

Another hand grabbed her as she came out. She screamed. Whoever the hand belonged to let go and she heard them step back in surprise, and then grab her shoulders.

"Hilde...it's Trowa." Said a soft voice in her ear. Hilde caught her breath then sighed and turned around to face the banged and mysterious pilot. He seemed familiar too...What the hell was all this? Trowa looked at her with a brow slightly arched. "Hilde, what happened in there? You look as white as a ghost." He asked in his soft, quiet voice. 

She straightened up at this, fixed her mussed hair and looked at Trowa. "Nothing happened Trowa, absolutely nothing." 

Trowa looked skeptical. "Something happened. You can't lie to me. I can see it-" He reached out his hand to caress her cheek-but Hilde flinched and stepped back. "I can see it in your actions, your face, your eyes. You can tell me what happened." He dropped his hand.

Hilde stared at the boy and suddenly she felt something hot and wet on her cheeks. She put her hand up to feel; it was water...she was in tears. She gasped pulling back her hand and looking at it as if it were blood. She'd never in two years cried. What about these people made her so-so what? Then she felt arms around her. Comforting arms placed around her shoulders, drawing her close to their body's heat. Her mind whirled again and the tears came harder. Trowa's voice penetrated the dark hold these new feelings created and she focused on it. "Come on, I'll take you to your room. You don't have to tell me." 

He started to lead her away but she stood her ground. "No-I don't want to go to my room...I have to get out of here Trowa." He looked at her his mouth slightly open in surprise. "I must leave, the New White Fang is on to me, and the longer I stay here the more danger I put you all in! Rodney Lewis is out after me, and if he gets to me that's it, this whole place is done for. I won't be human anymore."

Trowa's face-hardened very quickly at the mention of Rodney Lewis.

~*~Flashback~*~

_"Nanashi...my boy. You, Odin, and the girl Hilderine we have worked so hard to create will be the best! Your training will be phenomenal...and so will you."_

"GET HIM! He hasn't had the serum yet!"

*Pant* *pant* *pant* "This way Nanashi...we're almost out."

"What about her?"

"Gotcha!" 

"ACK!"

"Got you both!"

"You two were very bad. But we will use you anyway; the commander wants this serum tested and tested it shall be. Bring them here."

~*~End Flashback~*~

"Rodney Lewis..." 

Hilde looked up at him and pushed away. "You know of him?"

Trowa gave Hilde a sharp look, and his face dropped down his eyes being shadowed out. "Yes. I was one of his early experiments. Along with Heero-"

"Heero knows him too?" Trowa looked up at her as she asked this, stepping back away from him.

"And you..."

Hilde's world crashed again. Pictures swirled in her mind and she couldn't keep herself upright. Even screaming seemed impossible to do. She held her head gritted her teeth and rode it out, landing on the floor.

Trowa saw she was crashing again. Her eyes blazed a hot pink and her hands clutched at her head as it bowed forward and she fell. He caught her just as she nearly hit the floor. He leaned on the wall and held her there, on his knees. His face flashed up for an instant and when he saw nothing he quietly stood up with the limp girl in his long, strong arms and made his way up the grand staircase.

He opened the door to the room carefully. The lights were all off; he turned one on and placed the small body on the bed. He sat on a chair beside her and watched her. In the sleep she was in, she didn't look mean, harsh, insane or stoic anymore. He brushed the tearstains still left on her cheeks away and drew back shaking his head. She had changed so much since he and Heero had known her in the Oz training base. But he loved her all the same, and he knew Heero did as well. She just accidentally came across Duo. But why had she stayed with Oz? Why hadn't she come with the two of them when they made their escape? What about Duo made her change her mind all of a sudden years later? Why was she like this now? What had Rodney done to her? All these questions buzzed through his head as he waited for her to regain consciousness. 

And she did. Quietly, slowly her eyes fluttered open, revealing their newfound lime green beauty, and she sat up to find a waiting Trowa by the bedside. She sat up on her elbows and rubbed her head. Trowa had an immediate answer for the question that had not quite crossed her mind yet. "You had another memory attack." He said in his placid voice.

She looked up at him abruptly. "Oh, did I? Owooh..." She quickly placed her hand back on her forehead. "I guess I did..."

Trowa allowed a small smile to grow on his lips, then it faded as she peered up at him again. He very quietly cleared his throat. "Hilde, downstairs, in the library..."

Her green eyes flared at Trowa slightly. "Still on about that?" Trowa nodded. She sighed in defeat. "All right, I'll tell you." She looked down at her hands as she began to relate her terse run-in with Duo. He listened intently, although his docile manner showed no telltale sign of it. As she finished her hands shook. "I don't know what came over me...In all the months of training and actual fighting I've endured; I had never felt fear. And yet, something in Duo then struck a chord with me. Terrifying, intimidating, yet wholesomely overwhelming, in a good sense." She looked up at Trowa then who had leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, head bent, eyes open still listening. "I-I just don't get it! I'm not supposed to feel fear!"

Trowa looked up sharply at that. "Yes, you are. That's a human trait. You are human, just like the rest of us. You're supposed to feel love, fear, pain, hate, happiness even. It took Heero and I a long while before we learned to do these things again. For you, your lucky, I thought since the serum was a new and more improved prototype it would take longer for you to be human again...But it turns out your being here with all of us is returning your humanity quicker than expected." 

Hilde looked at him awed. "You know, I think that's the most I've ever heard you say in one sitting..."

Trowa let a very light chuckle go. "I speak when it's needed."

"I see."

"Hilde, you know Duo is half right..."

"What?!"

He put up his hands. "Hear me out. He is half-right. You do belong here with us, with him, Heero, Quatre, Wufei, Relena everyone else and myself. You do not have to go running off just to protect us from the New White Fang's wrath. We have dealt with them before and succeeded, your safe here, in the Sanq. Everyone is willing to give his or her lives to protect you, as you are all too obviously willing to give your life to protect us." 

"Hnm..."

"However, on the other hand, he shouldn't be telling you whether you should fight or not. That is the soldier's choice; to live or die in battle for one's loved ones, that is his or her choice, no one else's. He's only trying to stop you to protect you. He loves you, Hilde. And I-as well as Heero, believe he has just come to grips with that, so he's willing to do anything and everything in his power to stop you from fighting in this war."

"He-what...?"

"He does. I think I'll leave you now, but think about Heero's offer. We could really use you during this, and you do belong with your friends, not running from your past." With that the tall boy got up, and placing a hand along her cheek left the room to herself.

~*~Chap. 7 fin.~*~


	8. The White Fang Attacks

ChapterEight: The New White Fang Attacks

In another part of the Sanq's palace, two figures stood; conversing in the massive office that was Relena's. Heero looked at the woman standing in front of the huge window, one hand gracefully holding back a heavy deep purple curtain that was obscuring her view. Relena turned then to look at Heero. "It's been just four days Heero. She just barely got here and you're asking her to fight with us? I just don't know if that's the right thing to do."

"What other choices are left? Her kidnapping in the first place over two years ago was what triggered us in knowing. I know she's got the potential to fight. She was trained that way..." He watched Relena come around the oak desk carefully and sit on the edge.

"I know that Heero, it's just...After all she's been through you'd think she wouldn't want to fight anymore. I know that's what all of you pilots want. And I, I want peace as well." She sighed. Heero sat next to her, she gasped and looked up.

"That's the thing, she doesn't remember 95% of her life. She only remembers the last two years due to the serum-and it hurts her to try to remember more. This is all she knows...quite like it had been all I had known, and Trowa. We were born into training and fighting tactics-she was as well...All of 18 years ago. And if we use her in battle we have a bigger substantial chance at succeeding and destroying the new White Fang. We all want peace, that's why we must destroy White Fang again."

"Yes, we all want peace. Although it never seems to last for long does it? I'm not a very good leader. I wish I was as strong as you Heero. I could run this pacifism and have no worries..." Heero stared at her and then grabbed her hands. 

"Don't ever say that. You are stronger than I will ever be, now don't make me repeat myself." Relena smiled a bit then it faded as she looked out the window.

"More mobile suits are moving in on the front, aren't they? They'll be here within a couple hours won't they?" 

Heero made no reply. She looked back at him.

"And what of Duo? He does not wish Hilde to fight. He lost her nearly twice now Heero, what of that?" Heero looked out the window now.

"Duo is a fool."

"What?!"

"He has been blind for far to long. For four years to be exact."

"What are you talking about?"

"It was quite apparent when he brought the girl in from the attack before Libra that he had strong feelings for her. I couldn't discern them then. They might have been deep fear, devotion, love...Either way he obviously had no knowledge of how deep those feelings ran, and they just resurfaced and exploded when she came back after being kidnapped-so now he knows."

Relena was silent for a moment, she looked at Heero again and pressed her lips together, pushing a lock of hair from her face. "How do you know this?"

Heero glanced back at the girl sitting on the oak desk. "He told me what happened downstairs after the Mobile Suit testing I had with Hilde. He's in his room now, lamenting and meditating on his rash actions with her when it happened." He peered at her for a longer thoughtful moment then added, "It's blinding him. He's lost sight of our major objective to destroy White Fang. I would ask to quarantine him, but we need all the men we can spare in these battles. The ultimate soldier serum given to these soldiers is much more then we expected."

"So Hilde will fight."

"She has no other choice. Unless she wishes to go back to White Fang."

The door had opened then, and closed quietly. The tall figure outline of Milliardo Peacecraft, better known as Zechs Merquise, stood by and by behind the couple in front of the window. "But we can not allow that to happen, now can we, Heero Yuy?" He asked. Heero spun around and Relena's head snapped to attention. Heero's eyes and brows narrowed at the man with white-blonde hair. Heero did not let his deep-seated distaste for Relena's brother get the better of him. 

"What do you want, Zechs?" He asked.

"How rude. Before I state my business; answer me this: What will we do if the young Hilde wants to go back to the White Fang? We have no power to stop her in her quest. She beat you, I hear, in a Mobile Suit battle earlier this morning. And the infamous Chang Wufei at his own sword plays yesterday morning. She is clearly the better soldier." He said eyeing Heero.

"Please do not fight in this room." Relena said wearily resting her head in her palms.

"I had no intention of doing such a thing, Relena. I only wished to know how we would be able to stop Miss Schibecker from leaving the premises." Zechs stated, still eyeing the young boy.

"Hope is all we can count on, Zechs." Heero responded monotone. "You are right that we can not let her leave, she knows far too much and it would be a threat to everything Relena has worked for as well as a tremendous threat to all of our lives. But I do not know how we could keep her here, hope is all we can use."

"Hn." Zechs replied.

"You said you were here for other business as well Milliardo, pray tell what is it?" Relena asked looking up.

"I came to inform Commander Yuy, that Mobile Suits and Dolls have arrived on the horizon. They have been confirmed as White Fang Leo and Taurus suits. About 1,000 of them in all. We need to get out there and destroy them before the Sanq goes up in flames for a third time." Zechs answered.

Relena gasped and Heero's eyes went wide. "Hit the code red!" He called to Relena as he and Zechs bolted from the room.

Relena immediately ran behind her desk and hit a button. Sirens went up in the entire kingdom, warning anyone and every one of the impending dangers and any soldier with a mobile suit that it was time for a battle. The intercom flew up and Noin's voice penetrated the ears of all soldiers who could listen. "ATTACK ON THE SANQ! ALL SOLDIERS TO HANGER BAY 1-6 AND 9 PREPARE FOR BATTLE! REPEAT: ATTACK ON THE SANQ! ALL SOLDIERS TO HANGER BAY 1-6 AND 9 PREPARE FOR BATTLE!" There was a tremendous explosion of people in Sanq uniforms running to the hanger bays to get mechas and await the orders of Lt. Noin.

Hilde heard the call for arms and her head popped out of the room, her brow furrowed. Soldiers that had been standing guard in the halls hurried to the mobile suit bays. She came out, she was in a uniform as well. She hurried along with the soldiers, seeking out a specific MS hanger. 'One through six and nine,' she thought as she ran. 'That means that all five Gundam pilots, Peacecraft's brother, Zechs-or Milliardo...whichever, and the woman Lieutenant, Lucrezia Noin are going into battle with their troops. I must find bay 1, the Wing Gundam will be in it and I must see Heero.' With this goal in mind she rushed along with the troops and followed them till they came to the Mobile Suit hanger bays. 

She went with the troops that went toward the garage door with the 1 next to it and hurried past them all in. She frantically searched around and spotted Wing Zero standing alone in all its glory above the rest of the suits. It was having wires yanked from it in the preparation for the coming battle. She stared at it, it was grander then she had imagined. This was the infamous Wing Gundam that did so many terrible and great things during the Federation war in A.C. 195-196. It was a magnificent piece of machinery art. 

Her gaze quickly broke from the massive humanoid suit as she spotted Heero riding up an elevator to get to its cockpit. Her brow furrowed again and not caring of the danger that faced her, she ran up to the scaffolding and fast as lightning climbed the 12 meter rods of metal to where the cock-pit of the suit was. "Heero Yuy!" She called out as she reached her destination.

Heero looked up instantaneously, stunned for a moment that someone had come up behind him. But within a blink of the eye his surprise ceased to be on his face and he stared at Hilde. He stood up removing his foot from entering the cramped space of the cockpit. "Hilde?" He asked.

"Heero, I have decided." His brow arched. "I will fight with you. I have no use for the White Fang even if they have one for me."

He looked at her with a drawn face. "What made you change your mind?" He asked monotone once again. Her face was an emotionless one as well, she threw back her white bangs and one word, or name answered his question.

"Trowa."

Heero nodded. "Good. We could really use you, these ultimate soldiers of White Fang's have taken many of our men's lives already. A few more battles and we would have lost."

Hilde nodded and turned to jump off. Heero grabbed her arm before she did. She gasped and hot flashes of Duo came back, but were instantly gone as he said her name instead. "Hilde,-" She turned to face him. He pulled her close, their noses nearly touching, she could feel his breath on her cheeks. "Thank You." He said and let her go turning himself and getting into Wing Zero. Hilde stared after him bewilderment etched on her face, she turned then and leapt off the scaffolding to find herself a Mobile Suit to fight in wondering what the hell he'd meant by that. 

She ran through the Bay 1 doors and quickly found another elevator, she had to find a mobile suit and fast. Looking at the floor choices on the elevators button board-she took note that it only listed for bays 1-6 and 9. 7 and 8 were missing. She searched the board until she uncovered a little flat covering, behind it were the two buttons 7 and 8. She reached out a slim finger and pressed the 8 button. There was a creak and the doors shut on her; the elevator began to go down.

When the doors to the elevator slid open and Hilde pushed the white locks of hair from her face as she poked her head out and peered around. It was dark, and smelled of oil. She quickly stepped out and pulled a flashlight. Looking around it was another hanger but with only one mobile suit in it. "Good enough." She thought and ran to the scaffolding controls to remove them to make it possible to get the suit out. Loud creaking was heard as the scaffolding moved on its tracks and aside, the lights in the hanger switched on revealing a beautifully crafted red and black suit. Hilde stared at it and then quickly pulled up the suit's stats. 

"Hmm... Two times Vulcan cannons, four plus stealth mechanism, an energy beam glaive-beam cannon. This baby is loaded." She said to herself. Switching off the computer, up above her she heard the roar of the other suits leaving base. She ran to the mysterious suit and climbed up into it, strapping herself into the cockpit she flipped the switch. The engine hummed and roared to life below her. The eyes began to glow an iridescent blue color; she took to the controls and made it stand. "Smooth...All right, lets see what you've got." She muttered to it as she flexed it's large metallic fingers and extended the beam glaive that glowed electric blue. The doors to the hanger creaked open and revealed an opening out of a mountainside. She grinned maniacally and hit the thrusters and flew off in the direction of the New White Fang

~*~

Six magnificent Gundams flew in to join a battle already in progress. The Wing Zero, the DeathScythe, the HeavyArms, the SandRock, the Nataku, and the Tallgeese; these had been the hope for peace during the war between the colonies and the Earth. Now once again another evil calls them into need reborn.

"All right, we'll take this out with as little bloodshed as possible." Heero pulled up a link and ordered his troops out. "Duo, you take the right flanks,"

"Gotcha!"

"Trowa, you take the left-"

"On it."

"Quatre, you take what you can of the above troops."

"Whatever you say."

"Wufei, you and your brigade try to get behind them and get a back attack,"

"Hn...This better work." 

"Zechs-You take your troops and Noin to the sea faring troops, and try to stop them from coming to port. I'll take my regiment and go for a frontal."

"Right...listening to Yuy's orders grr..."

"Zechs Merquise! Just do as the boy asks!"

"Hnm...Yes Noin..." 

"All right, go!" 

On the other side sat the White Fang's commander, in a white suit with gold lining. She leaned on the control panel of the cockpit and watched the Sanq's attempts to fend off her troops. She laughed quietly to herself. "Oh my, Mr. Yuy, you should know it's quite useless to even try this. My ultimate soldiers can out do your flanks any day. But I cannot kill such a beautiful face." She smirked evilly. "But, you know I will kill you. I'd take you for my own plaything. Erase your memory like I did to my darling Hilderine and have you for myself, if you were not enamored with that Peacecraft woman. Relena doesn't deserve you; of course soon she will be of no consequence anyway. Once we're through here. I'll have my precious secret weapon, Hilde, back and Relena will be dead, and we will take over the Earth Sphere Alliance. I'll rule as Queen. Ooo, what fun!" She laughed again and watched the battle press on. She had given strict orders for them to kill all the pilots. No one questioned why. No one knew the commander had an ulterior motive for killing Relena, so for now she just sat and watched the battle grinning as she fantasized about her victory.

Heero made shot after shot fly at the suits that surrounded him. His flanks were nearly gone, these people could move like water in these suits. Another one came up behind him; he quickly spun to whap it away with the butt of his beam cannon. But the suit was faster and it dodged, he missed and because of that lost his balance. Wing Zero tumbled away sideways and hit the ground with an enormous THUD that caused the very ground to shake. "Wha-?" He got Zero to sit up, and blocked an oncoming barrage from the opposing suit just in time. Wing Zero's foot went into the enemy suit's torso and its hands grabbed the other suits forearms. Heero made a motion on his controls and flipped the opposite suit off of him and upside down to the ground on the other side. The suit fast as lightning put it's thrusters up and turned right side up, and hovered there. Heero made a grab for his beam saber and went for its head, but it was far to quick and dodged all his moves. The enemy lifted up a gigantic metal foot then and kicked Wing Zero back. Heero lost his balance again and fell backward, loosing orientation. He lay there and the other suit's pilot took it upon himself to put a foot on Zero's torso and point his own saber at Zero's cockpit opening.

Everyone else seemed to be in a slightly similar predicament. The ultimate soldiers proved their names and took nearly all the pilots and their troops to lunch. Wufei was even flailing at the superiority of the ultimate White Fang soldiers. The suit he was fighting with his Nataku was far too fast in its movements, and it's pilots skills were beyond compare. Every move Wufei made, it some how predicted and either dodged or countered it with something better. Wufei took up his trident and made a swirling hit to the back of the enemy suit but the enemy suit ducked and went between Nataku's legs and lifted him up letting the great machine fall head first to the ground, scrambling some circuits in it's head. "Shit, my vision is screwed." Wufei hissed to himself. He stood up and used his extending arm and tried to hit the opposed suit square in the middle. Surprisingly the other suit grabbed the arm instead and took to using it against Wufei. "What the-hell?!" He cried as the opposite suit sent the arm back at him, making Nataku hit itself instead. The opposite suit jumped behind and took Nataku by the neck and made ready to slash it through the center where it would explode.

HeavyArms stood at a face off. Most of Trowa's troops had been blown to uselessness and the ones that hadn't were fighting off the leader of this squadron's troops, so now it was just him and the apparent leader. With mostly only ammo to get him through battles, Trowa knew this wouldn't last long. He sighed and watched the other suit precariously. With a sudden flick of his wrist HeavyArms' chest plate opened up and revealed the concealed machine guns. Pulling out the hand held machine gun he pointed at the other suit and without warning opened fire on it. This suit dodged all his attacks with equal grace and ease as all the others. It leapt behind Trowa's line of fire and tripped the mighty suit with its whip, causing Trowa's HeavyArms to loose itself and stumble forward in attempt to not fall. The torso flew around to fire again at the attacking suit but the suit moved like sound and jumped up with it's whip bared, brandishing it and then whirling it about HeavyArms' head, and holding him there, he snapped it off-cutting all communications for Trowa. "This is bad..." Trowa whipped around tripping the other suit up, but the other suit had already leapt away and made to have it's whip encircle HeavyArms' waist and snap the area with the cockpit into two pieces.

Zechs and Noin were having no less trouble. Even though they were paired up with equal fighting skills, it was not helping them any. One suit was obviously enough to give both of these able pilots lots of trouble. However, working as a team, they lasted much longer then the pilots that were by themselves. "Noin!" Zechs called out as the suit that was attacking them took a back attack swing at Noin's white Taurus suit. Zechs used his Tallgeese and rammed the opposing suit away and off of Noin's back. Her Taurus flipped around to a sitting position. "Thanks Zechs..." She responded just as she took out her beam cannon- "Zechs! Don't move!" She screamed and made a blast at the same suit that'd jumped her and was now jumping the Tallgeese. Zechs stopped dead and Noin's blast hit dead center, knocking the suit away. The Tallgeese helped up the White Taurus as more suits came up on them. The one Noin had just blast ended had called for backup, and here it was. The two went back to back and began to fend off whom they could, helping each other when needed.

Quatre made a double slice at the suits attacking him. They dodged, and made kicks at his suit to make it fall. He jumped up and spun kicked the suits' heads, making an oval slice with his sickles. SandRock's feet hit, but his razor sharp sickles missed and one of the suits pulled him down and to the ground with a huge shudder resounding from the force of the collapse. One of his sickles snapped. "I'm not going to last much longer..." he panted as he whipped his unbroken sickle around to slice at the feet of the other suits making his Gundam creep to a stand. He made another fatal attempt to slice at the attacking suits but they again got the better of him. One leapt behind the other in front and the one behind held the SandRock as the suit in front pulled out its beam saber and made to slice straight through the cockpit again, like all the rest. SandRock struggled against the hold, but it was running out of energy and Quatre was running out of steam. "Not even Heero's zero system can help us now..." He thought as the beam saber came ever closer to the cockpit. 

Duo took up to slicing at another suit. It dodged and came up behind him hitting the back of DeathScythe's neck, causing the great machine to stumble and nearly fall. "Damn! These shits play dirty!" He hissed rubbing his forehead that had just been bloodied by it hitting the controls in front of him. He quickly took the controls and spun DeathScythe around to block an oncoming onslaught from the suit that had knocked his suit off balance. The beam saber that clashed down on him nearly sliced through his beam scythe's pole; he threw the offender off with a mighty thrust and picked himself up off the ground. "You bitch!" He screamed and hauled off after the suit. But the suit was faster, quicker in it's responses and movements, avoiding all his attempts to slice it to kingdom come with seemingly controlled ease. 

Duo stopped near it then, it hovered in the air just near him. He looked at it and his beam scythe scraped the ground as he sat in the cockpit. Sweating and panting, he watched as the enemy suit lifted it's massive hand and it transformed into a machine gun, about to blow DeathScythe's face off. "These things-they can't have humans in them...They're too fast-too skilled. They have to be mobile dolls...This is impossible."

A COM opened up then to all the suits; a female face with ice cold blue eyes stared at them all and smiled an evil twisted glint. "I'm sorry Duo, but you are wrong. These are not mobile dolls they are people. These are my ultimate soldiers, and it appears they have out done even the legendary Gundam pilots." There was slight laughter from voices not recognizable to any Sanq kingdom soldier, but the voice of the woman was familiar.

"Bitch!" Wufei's voice called out from somewhere.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk...Now, now, no need for such vulgar language Wufei my dear. We are here on the pretexts of killing Miss Relena Darlian Peacecraft and taking back what is rightfully ours. Three things actually." The woman smiled and sat back in the shadowy confines of her mobile suit. "With the exception of Heero Yuy, kill them all." She waved her hand and the link went dead. 

"What?! What does she want with Heero?" Duo asked. "Heero! Heero! You there?" He tried contacting the Wing Zero, but all there was, was static. Duo looked up at the suit hovering near him and could feel the insane grin of the pilot inside as he or she peered upon the DeathScythe. "God help us..." He mouthed as the suit opened fire to blast Duo back to Hell.

But the blast never came. Instead there was a muffled scream and a yell of- "what the fuck-?! What-who is that?!" Then an explosion and nothing. Duo chanced to open his eyes, and saw the wreckage of the mobile suit and suits around him and nothing else. All around him he heard the same screams, and heard someone yell "there's something on my radar-but it's moving at the speed of LigAAGH!"

The COM link shot open again, and the woman's voice blared out. "It's her! Retreat for now! We know she's here now! Retreat!" And the few White Fang suits that were left after the fast as light attack left with great speed, and the Gundam pilots were left alone with whoever had helped. 

Suddenly all around the Gundam pilots there were White Fang mobile suit wreckages. No one of them seemed to be left. SandRock stood up, Nataku regained balance and stood, DeathScythe stood up to full height, the Tallgeese and Noin's white Taurus stood and looked around. And lo and behold, there in front of the HeavyArms suit, removing an electric blue beam glaive from the suit that had been about to kill Trowa was a magnificent black and red mobile suit, that of which none of the pilots had ever seen before. The strange mobile suit turned to HeavyArms and helped the gun armored suit to its feet. Quatre's face popped up on the vid-links all around, as did the rest of the pilots faces, they all looked into the strange suit's cockpit to see who had been so fast and so quick as to destroy all these suits in less then ten seconds. "Thank you stranger, for helping us when we were in need." Quatre said, his diplomatic side taking over so as to become friends with this pilot.

The pilot leaned forward exposing her face to the glow of the cockpit lights, her white hair a greenish color do to the dim lighting, and her green eyes, greener than ever. "No need Quatre." She said in her masculine like voice. "I would have done it anyway."

They all bit back a gasp as Hilde revealed she was the one in the suit that none had ever set eyes on. Duo bit back the biggest gasp of them all. "Hilde..." He hissed. Hilde's sharp green eyes turned to Duo's vid-link picture and narrowed at him.

"I told you; you couldn't stop me Duo." She growled at him. "I'm as much a part of this war as you are, maybe even more so. But as it stands, I cannot just sit back and watch you get obliterated by the White Fang while I have the power to stop them. They know I'm here now...But I feel like I can take them with your guys' help- Trowa helped me understand that I can't rely on myself _all_ the time." Duo said nothing and looked down at his controls, gripping and un-gripping them tightly in his palms. Hilde's eyes then softened at him. "Will you help me?" She asked. "Help me get rid of the White Fang-for Relena's sake of peace if not for the sake of mine?" Duo looked up at her, with little rivulets of tears traveling down his face. He said nothing but nodded solemnly. She smiled at him and then turned to the rest-and stopped.

"What's the matter Hilde?" Trowa asked when he saw her stop dead.

"Where is Heero?" She asked, once again devoid of emotion. 

This sent up a royal ruckus. Everyone leapt from their suits and searched the wreckages for any sign of the stoic boy. Duo and Hilde found the Wing Zero, lying motionless on the ground. "Oh my god..." Hilde hissed. "Duo-get everyone else."

"Holy shit...he can't be dead...he just can't. He's the perfect soldier..." Duo muttered. He then turned and yelled as loud as he could for everyone to come quick, they'd found the Zero.

Hilde, Duo and Trowa climbed to the suit's cockpit and all together ripped open the door while everyone else checked the surrounding area in case he'd flown the coop. Dropping into the cockpit, Trowa felt about and found a limp body inside. "Heero..." He whispered and bent down undoing the clasps about his torso to free him from the confines of the chair straps. "Help me here." He called up to the other two and they lifted him out. Unconscious as he was, he was covered in blood. Hilde tenderly laid him out on Wing Zero and kneeled next to him, placing her hand on his throat checking for a pulse just as Quatre came up panting behind them with Wufei, Zechs and Noin in tow to report that they had found nothing. 

"Oh good Allah!" Quatre cried out instead when he saw the unconscious Heero and Hilde over him. "What happened?"

Hilde looked up sharply, her eyes burrowing into whomever they came across. "He is alive-but not for long if we don't get him back to base..." She said quickly and stood up. She looked at Duo and he nodded vaguely and stooped to pick the boy up in his arms. "All right everyone, back to the Sanq!" She called and they all leapt off the suit and headed to their own. She stopped Trowa and Wufei. "Could you two manage to carry the Wing Zero back between you? The last thing we need is for the White Fang to get a hold of the strongest of our Gundams."

They both nodded at her and headed to their suits and prepared to tow the Wing Zero back to the Sanq's mobile suit hangers. 

~*~Chap. 8 fin.~*~


	9. Hilde's Heero and The Next Attack

Chapter Nine: Hilde's Heero and The Next Attack

"So Hilderine is there-" Rodney's voice asked over a vid-link to the commander. The commander leaned back and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Yes, she is. Just as I said she would be and she is helping the Peacecraft woman just as predicted as well."

"Ah, so the next move is the device that I implanted in her head and the control with it." Rodney said.

The commander nodded. "Then our colony shall be free of the Sanq's rule and we can take over from there." She grinned. "She was wonderful, even more than perfect. Her speed was that of light and her movements were as smooth and quick as milk. She is the ultimate soldier Rodney; you should get a raise for this."

"Mm."

"But as for now, we must set a new plan. A new battle must be set and I should have three times the troops I did this run. The Sanq will fall to my hand and Relena will die at it." She said. "Tomorrow we will attack the Sanq with it all, and tomorrow Hilde will be back as us, I will crush the Sanq, kill Relena and her pretty little Gundam pilot protector, Heero Yuy. Ready the troops Mr. Lewis!" She cried and he nodded as the screen went dead leaving her alone again. "Just you wait..."

The hanger doors spread open allowing the Gundams and left over Sanq Special forces into the garages. Trowa and Wufei came in and dropped the majestic Wing Zero onto the concrete floor of the hangers. Immediately mechanics got to work on all the damage that had been done to the suits during the battle, and the pilots leapt out to the floors with all their grace, landing on their feet, Duo clutching the unconscious Heero as not to drop him. Hilde meandered with the rest to where Duo stood peering at the perfect soldier with pure bewilderment etched in his face. "He's-really very frail..." He mumbled as Hilde came up to them and placed a hand on Heero's chest, which was lifting up and down shallowly.

"I know..." She responded, even though she didn't have a clue how she knew. Somewhere deep inside she'd known that he wasn't as strong as he appeared. Duo looked at her as Trowa came up behind her and placed a wary hand on her shoulder and Quatre, Wufei, Zechs and Noin joined them, standing around looking at the boy in Duo's arms, most wondering how he'd managed to get as far as he had.

Heero choked then, and began to hyperventilate, his chest rising and falling quickly, his closed eyes squinting tight as he coughed. Blood fell from his mouth and Hilde took a step back at the sudden movement he'd made. "Oh shit! Someone get someone here fast!" She cried and quickly covered his mouth up, getting blood on her hand.

"I already called Sally...she should be here any moment." Quatre said.

"Well she better get her ass here faster! Heero is dying damn it!" Hilde cried.

Just as she yelled this, the doors to the hanger opened and in came Relena-closely followed by Sally with her portable equipment. The tiny crowd parted for them and as Relena saw Heero in Duo's arms she moved quicker and arrived at his side placing her hands on his pale cheeks. "Oh Heero..." She whispered, not letting tears escape her blue green eyes. Heero hacked harder then ever, his breath coming faster if possible. She wrapped her arms around the boy and Duo gently placed him down, Relena followed sitting on the floor and cradling Heero to her like a baby. "Please-don't die, not now...not when I need you most..." They could hear her whisper into the wild hair as Sally knelt beside them and began to silently check him through.

Hilde couldn't watch this-it reminded her of something-again... "Oh god...not again." She hissed but it was too late, her mind whirled and was full of pictures, times, places, events, a time where-who was that? Her? She saw a girl with raven-blue black hair loose blood and hyperventilate like Heero was...She saw a boy with a braid clutching at her and yelling for-what was he saying, Sally? But it was too much-she blacked out again.

"Hilde!" Duo cried noticing just a bit late as she tumbled backward into oblivion. Last thing she felt was warm arms encircle her to stop her from falling, and bangs lightly brush her cheeks as she drifted away from consciousness.

She woke up in the room again. By now she had gotten used to seeing the same things above her when she regained thought. She lay there this time, not bothering to move. She was getting awfully sick of blacking out at the most inconvenient moments and all the pictures that plagued her mentally, causing her irritating collapses. She pondered on the visions she'd seen between her conscious and unconscious periods. The most recent had been of a girl, very strikingly like her-and the boy. It had been Duo...She sat up abruptly and grabbed her knees to steady herself. Had that been a past memory?! Something that happened long before she had woken in White Fang's basement? Why this was just dawning on her now she had not the slightest clue why, but now, there was the possibility, wide open.

"Fuck you Rodney," she hissed under her breath. "You lied to me you conceited bastard." Now as she thought about it, more vague images crawled into her mind. All of the same people from a time she could just barely grasp. The life she had had before the fateful awakening. Suddenly in a flash of hot white light she remembered dim training rooms-long raven-blue-black bangs, sweat, a woman's voice shouting commands, people called her mother, and two bodies beside her...the persons looked strangely familiar...She slapped her mouth with one of her hands, bringing her quickly out of her reverie. They had been Heero and Trowa! Dear lord! Another memory quickly moved in; she was staring at a beautiful boy, and he at her with the most charmingly innocent, yet enticingly wicked, lopsided grin on his lips and he was slowly pulling down a pair of sunglasses revealing his stunning violet eyes to her. His long roped hair hung wildly over his shoulder, as he stood up to face her. Duo...So they had known each other before.

She mentally slapped herself and broke away; breathing raggedly and harshly, it hurt to remember this...Why? What had Rodney done to her? Her eye flicked open when she haltingly remembered something much more recent, and of a more prominent issue. 'Heero!' She mentally cried, ripping herself from the bed and rushing out into the large empty hallway. What had happened to him? Was he alive? Was he dead? She didn't know. The flash of the memory burn had put her out, so she never had found out. She burst through the hall and quickly rode the grand staircase railing down and scrambled to the infirmary. She bust in with out breaking a sweat and spotted Heero on a bed in a corner. No one else was in the infirmary, but she entered, slowly and cautiously anyway.

She approached the still boy and carefully sat on the edge of the cot, looking at him. In sleep he looked like he hadn't the world on his shoulders, instead he looked innocent. Even though he wasn't. "Oh Heero," She whispered "I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have come back." To her surprise Heero's Prussians opened slightly to look at her under heavily lidded eyes.

"You--remember--?" He asked in a labored whisper.

Hilde bit her lip, and nodded. She couldn't cry. She felt like she wanted to, but no tears would spill. "I remember-nearly everything...I remember you and Trowa...and the Oz training-Oh I shouldn't have come back! You wouldn't be here in the infirmary and Duo wouldn't be breaking his heart and Trowa wouldn't be trying to cope and, and...Oh I shouldn't have..." He stopped her speaking with a finger to his lips.

"Hilde...it's good that you came back-Duo would have gone insane if you hadn't and most probably most of us would be dead after that last battle. I know I can't go out to the next fight-and I have a favor to ask you..." He grimaced.

"Don't talk too much!" She hissed. "I want you to recover."

Heero smiled a very small smile, reserved for her. "It's like having a sister…" he mumbled. Hilde didn't respond. He sighed a little. "Hilde pilot the Wing Zero." She spun and stared at him with large disbelieving eyes.

"What?!"

"I can't do it-and this war has to end..." He muttered. "It's been two years Hilde...it has to end and you're the only one capable enough to finish it off...Pilot Zero One for me." Even in his monotone he sounded crazy to her. How could she possibly pilot Wing Zero? Wasn't the serum enough? The Zero System would send her too far over the edge. She may end up killing those she now chose to protect.

"I-I can't do that Heero. I'll go insane." She told him.

Heero grunted and shifted a bit. "You can handle it Hilde...I know you can...win this war for me, us. Relena is becoming so tired...She's so strong, but even she has a limit..." He shut his eyes.

Hilde saw the longing in his face as he said Relena's name, and sighed, feeling resigned. "That's all I'm good for now...winning wars, it's what the White Fang wanted of me and it's what they got. The Ultimate Soldier, the perfect human weapon."

Heero reopened his eyes to look at her and took her hand. "In their eyes yes, but you're on the right side now and after this is over you can take your braid-brained boy back home and live peacefully again."

Hilde glanced at him. "Home?" The word brought more and new dim memories of a colony in outer space and a run down little house with a junk filled backyard. She dimly began to remember a day when she and that boy with a rope sat on the couch yelling at the TV while a football game played across the screen. She looked at Heero again. "All right, I'll do it. You've got yourself a pilot, Yuy."

Heero let the barest smirk cross his features. "I knew you wouldn't back down."

She sighed. "You're right-you and I are very, very much alike." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead and slipped out.

Heero shook his head. "How a baka like Duo got her is beyond me." He muttered and rolled over.

She ran up the hall. She had to find Miss Relena. Coming to a double large oak door she knocked. A soft "Come in." Resounded from inside and Hilde tentatively opened the door to find the honey blonde leaned forward on her desk her head in her palms.

"Miss Relena?" She asked stepping in and shutting the door. Relena looked up, wiping away stains on her cheeks left by the water rivulets from her aquamarine eyes.

"Miss Hilde-!" She said rather startled, as she quickly stood up.

"No, no, don't get up..." Hilde admonished. "You might want to stay seated for this."

Relena plopped back down again and stared at the slightly older but smaller girl moving silently up to her desk. "But-you were unconscious, Duo left you in the room-"

Hilde made a slightly disgusted face. "Yes, well, Duo didn't stay to make sure I didn't leave this time did he?"

Relena sighed slightly. "No-none of them could. After they got-" she gulped a bit here "Heero situated in the infirmary, they were called out to battle again. Zechs and the rest under the command of Lady Une, this was something she had to be in too."

Hilde's eyes widened. "They what?!" She hissed.

"It appears that the White Fang's new colonel was with the next group trying to attack the Sanq, and they figured that if they brought her down then it'd all be over. Seeing as she is the one who started the new White Fang in the first place." Relena related lightly tapping an idle pencil on the oak desk.

Hilde's features hardened a great deal at the mention of the White Fang's colonel. That woman was the woman who had started it all; she made all the Ultimate soldiers call her 'mother'. The memories of the training with Trowa and Heero came back, people begging 'mother' to let up. To Hilde she was the devil in all its glory. "Miss Relena I came here to tell you I'm going back out to battle, in Wing Zero." She said with menace in her face.

Relena looked up suddenly, shocked. "What? Miss Hilde, you don't mean that do you? -How-how can you go and battle in Wing Zero?"

"I can, and will. This war must end, Miss Relena. You want peace back and I want a life. Ever since White Fang's experiment on me, I haven't had one. Two years, Miss Relena, two years without a thought of my own till I escaped and my instincts led me here, and found Duo. Two years since peace obliterated, two years since you've been able to rest. It's time it ended, and I feel I need to end it-and with Wing Zero." Hilde said earnestly. "I want to go home, you want your peace, and it has to end."

Relena looked at her and slowly stood up. "You're right, Miss Hilde. It has been far to long. So...this will be the final battle then?"

Hilde looked at her with a fire in her eyes, the greenness slowly evaporating into a fresh, glowing pink instead. "I certainly hope so. The White Fang dies this day."

Relena nodded and walked up to Hilde extending her hand. Hilde grabbed it, tossing her white bangs back. "Good luck, Hilde Schibecker. Let peace drive you to victory."

Hilde nodded. "You too Miss Relena." They let go and Hilde made for the door, but before she went out she turned back to the blonde diplomat. "Go see your Heero. He misses you." And with that she disappeared behind the doors, leaving Relena slightly baffled.

When had it ever taken half so long to get down to the hangers and bay 1? Hilde grumbled and kept her feet moving. She felt very impatient. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, but really had only been five minutes, the elevator doors slid open and revealed to her eyes the majestic Wing Gundam. She sighed and stepped into the hanger. She approached Wing Zero and pressed a button to allow the guy-wire to descend and for her to get on and shoot up to the cockpit.

She opened it hesitantly, and climbed in, getting a feel for the controls surrounding her. She sighed and used a control to open up the hanger doors. "Well, here goes nothing." She mumbled as Wing Zero blared to life, his green eyes glowing brightly and it's fingers flexing as she made a couple test movements. Once she was satisfied with the mecha's outlying responses, she revved up the thrusters and shot off toward the new battle. 'Late again,' she mused inwardly as she unsheathed Zero's beam saber.

Relena watched the Gundam go from her large picture window and sighed. "Good luck, and win it for us all, Hilde." She muttered and turned as Sally came in to give her the update on Heero's condition.

"He's alive still. He took really awful hits, but I do believe he'll pull through. He's asleep now." Sally told her.

Relena looked up at her. "I want to see him."

Sally smiled. "This way Miss Relena." She said and led Relena out the doors and to the infirmary.

Relena entered alone, Sally said she had some things to get from storage. She approached the boy whose eyes immediately flew open when he sensed her. "Re-lena..." He muttered sounding absolutely miserable to her. She bent next to the cot he was in and placed her hand on his.

"Hilde's gone." She mumbled.

"I know, I sent her out." He said in a whisper.

"Why? She might die out there."

"No, she won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"She exceeds even me in combatant skills."

"But what if she fouls up?"

"Duo and Trowa won't let her."

"I hope your right, for everyone's sake."

"Peace is left in her hands; she won't screw up."

Relena sighed. "Heero?"

He looked at her.

"Do you love her? Ever since she came back-you-I..."

He didn't smile, but he ran his fingers through her hair. "Relena, have I not kept my promise I made two years ago about being more open?"

"You never answered me then." She said and looked away.

"I said I'd try, and I have...yes, I love her-"

Relena looked back at him a muted "I knew it!" In her face, but he stopped her.

"But not like that. That was in the dark past Relena. Now she's more like a sister." He sighed not able to get the words he wanted to say out. "I can't-really love, and neither can she any more. Rodney Lewis made sure of that."

"Heero, how can you say that? You're human and capable of any feeling you want, I thought you had figured that out." She admonished him.

Heero sighed and shook his head, and sat up, grimacing.

"Oh! Don't do that! It'll make it worse!" She tried to push him back, but he grabbed her wrists and pulled her up onto the cot with him. "Heero?" She asked incredulously.

His rough calloused fingers caressed her cheek as his deep Prussian, ice blue eyes bore into hers with an intensity she'd never witnessed in him. His fingers trailed down lower and her breath caught in her throat. Then slowly, attentively, as if trying it for the first time, he placed his lips on hers. She gasped but slowly she returned it. Her hands snuck around his torso, caressing his bare back and his did the same, lifting up her blouse as he went. His eyes stayed open watching her reaction as his hands explored her and hers him. His hands began to undo her blouse and he lay back taking her with him as light gasps and moans of pleasure came from them both as they explored each other openly for the first time since they had met four years hence.

"Don't leave me Heero..."

"I'll try."

Duo grunted as the mobile suit slashed at him from behind, being to quick for even his DeathScythe to turn and face off to. He flew forward, and was tripped by the suit he was fighting. "Shit!" He screamed out just rolling away in time before the saber came down through DeathScythe's torso. He whirled around only to be slammed down again by the suit as it made to slice off its arms. Duo made an up-cut with DS's scythe and just missed the opposing suit's arm. The suit backed off a bit and DS stood up and came at the other suit. It twirled and wound up beside Duo as he came past. The suit stabbed DeathScythe through the head and Duo's left vision was lost. "This is not good." He mumbled as he swung around to face off with it again.

Wufei made his own attempts at killing the suits that he was battling. Using the troops from Noin's infantry, he attacked with all he could. Four suits came at him at once, sweat poured from his face as he did a triple axle with his Nataku, in a fine but failing attempt to slice through all four with his double ended triton. They all dodged it, jumping back, then as soon as he was done coming at him again. "AAARGH!" He screamed jumping up into the air, thrusters flaring as the four suits skidded to a halt below him and looked up. He immediately made a downward swoop and came down upon the four with his triton blaring. Again they dodged and one made a sideswipe at his right wing, cutting it in half letting circuitry fly out. "These men are strong..." He muttered, standing his Nataku up again and making another swipe, barely nipping their balance modulators. They came barreling at him again after this hit and knocked him down on the ground.

Trowa was having problems of his own. The suits he was fighting were sending missile after missile at him, and he was being forced to waste ammo and shoot them all down so they wouldn't hit him. Quatre had joined him and they were battling the suits to the best of their ability. "These ones keep you on your toes constantly!" Quatre huffed as he rammed a suit trying to slash it with his sickles but missing entirely because the suit rolled away and up.

"Mm, I don't know how long we can last. They seem to just keep coming." Trowa muttered as he made a blow at the closest suit to him with his wrist knife. It dodged. Duo fell into the circle of suits fighting with HeavyArms and SandRock just then, as he kicked the suit on him off, trying desperately to scramble DeathScythe away and out of the line of the suit's fire.

"This is crazy!" He yelled over the com-link, his braid flying into his face.

Wufei came rolling into the middle of it too, after just managing to throw off two suits that had been on him. "I hate to say this-but we need help. There is just no beating these men."

Noin and Zechs were battling to no end as well, this time separated by a long mine of mobile suits-but they could hear the conversations. "I agree with Wufei," Noin said as she made a long-range fire at a suit she saw coming at her with her beam cannon. "But there's no one left to ask! All the Preventers are here on the battle field, as well as what's left of the Sanq Special Forces! The way I see it is...we're sunk."

"Looks like we're fighting another loosing battle." Quatre said with a half smirk as he made another swipe at a suit near Trowa.

"Don't give up yet, it's not over till it's over." Zechs said spinning and firing another shot at three suits coming up behind him.

"It'll be over soon!" Duo muttered. "Heero couldn't beat these guys-he is in the hospital because of them, and we all nearly died ourselves! What could we do?" He grunted being shoved backward in his suit and hitting his head on the backboard.

Trowa shot down the suit that attacked DeathScythe, actually hitting it. It flew back sideways and he thought of something. "We can't defeat these guys on our own." He said firing again at the suit he'd hit as it tried to regain balance.

"No, really?" Duo yelled sarcastically, slicing at another suit.

"Duo shut up; it sounds like Mr. Barton has an idea." Zechs rebuked Duo.

"Well, what is it Barton? Spill it before we all get sacked." Wufei growled as he dive-bombed another suit.

"We can't defeat these guys one on one, so let's use teamwork." He said and immediately went and ransacked a suit that was about to slice SandRock's head off. The suit stumbled and fell, and Trowa stabbed it through with his wrist knife, stepping back as the pilot evacuated and the suit exploded.

"Thanks Trowa." Quatre said.

"Well it's better than nothing, lets give it a whirl!" Noin said and went after a couple suits trying to remodel Wufei's Nataku.

"Good plan, Barton." Zechs said and attacked a few suits that had leapt up behind HeavyArms.

Chap. 9 fin.


	10. Hilde's True Purpose

Chapter Ten: Hilde's True Purpose

Down field, standing in the very front of a sentry army line of hundreds more mobile suits, was a beautiful work of art for mobile suits. Pure white with blue and gold lining and wings like that of Wing Zero but grander was its make. It's weapons were a golden glowing beam glaive, quadruple Vulcan cannons mounted on its head and its chest plate, a buster shield and a twin buster rifle placed in a holder on its back. It was rightly called The Star Gundam. 

Inside the suit sat a woman with ice blue eyes and a malevolent grin upon her lips, as she propped her head up on her hand and watched the battle rage before her with only a fourth of her legions. It was the colonel of the White Fang. The commander, the woman who had started it all, commissioned Rodney Lewis to make the serum. She laughed quietly as she watched the Gundam pilots try in vain to destroy her troops. This wasn't even all of her troops and they were still loosing pitifully. The Sanq would be in her control in no time. 

She frowned then. "But there is still a chance that the pilots will succeed, especially if they find the soldiers weaknesses out while in battle. Where is Hilde? I know she'll come. She will turn the tables in our favor completely and the Sanq will have no chance." She clutched the device Rodney had given her tightly again and grinned. "She'll be here. I know she will. Battle is all she's in this world for."

Suddenly her com-link fired up and a man came into view on the vid-link. "Commander! The pilots have figured out a strategy! They're fighting back and our troops are being beaten!" He said in a hurried voice.

"What! How is this possible? Grrah!" She slammed her fist down on her console.

"We need help out here mother! We're being slaughtered!" The man said and screamed as one of the Gundams sliced through him.

"GAH! No!" She opened up a link to the rest of her unit. "Attention all soldiers: We are needed on the outfield. Let's go, go, go! Repeat: We are needed on the outfield!" She revved up the Star's thrusters and moved out with her infantry to the battlefield. "You will pay for this pilots." She hissed.

~*~ 

Back in the field Une watched the battle from the altitude. She fought with suits mercilessly, knocking most from the sky. Just as she finished off another suit she looked out over the field and spotted a sea of new suits led by a pristine white one with gold. She gasped and opened a link to all the Sanq troops situated on the ground below. "Attention everyone! More White Fang Mobile Suits headed our way! Seems to be being led by a new Gundam model! Model is unknown, be careful it's possibly the commander of the White Fang!" 

"Aw shit! That's not cool!" Duo yelled back. "We've got nearly nothing left!"

"We're through. My ammo supply is nil." Trowa said.

"Loosing battle," Quatre muttered. "Fight till the end..."

"It's all we can do, die with dignity and honor!" Wufei said.

Zechs shook his head. "Figured you say something like that."

"Got any better plans Zechs Merquise?" Wufei snorted.

Une descended from her sky-high point. "I'm sure he doesn't. It is all we can do. For the peace."

"For the peace." Noin repeated as the next line of White Fang infantry moved in on them.

"ATTACK!" The commander called out her eyes aflame. 

"GO!" Une called out, going straight for the Star Gundam with her saber drawn ready to do battle.

"Well here goes nothing, see you guys on the other side." Duo said and saluted everyone heading off to fight a group of mechas with his barely flickering beam scythe. 

Trowa nodded and smiled a bit. "Nice knowing all of you. Good luck out there." He nodded and then went off as well.

"You too Trowa." Quatre said as he Wufei, Zechs and Noin went off to battle separately again with nearly nothing left.

~*~ 

Hilde finally spotted the battlefield, well who could miss it now? The place was aflame and there was mobile suit parts spread from here to Timbuktu. Hopefully she wasn't too late and the Gundams were still alive and moving. She put Wing Zero into full thrust and flew faster, her eyes searching the barren ground for any sign of her comrades. She then spotted a glimmer of white and gold flash somewhere down below. "AH!" She yelled. "The bitch is back!" She flew down, but the white and gold was gone. Hissing she spun around and saw all around her the Gundams fighting and falling apart at the seams as they did. "Oh god...I got here just in time..." She flew straight back up and pulled out Wing Zero's twin beam rifle aiming directly at a generator near some White Fang suits. "Locked on target..." She muttered as the targeting mechanism locked onto it. 

Down below everyone was loosing and hurting incredibly badly. Duo had blood gushing from his forehead and mouth, as he gritted his teeth and went in for another loosing assault. Quatre had broken an arm and was fighting with one hand trying to keep his broken limb still. Trowa had blood pouring from his nose and under his eyes, as he fired at suits. Noin had her cockpit front ripped off and was fighting with it gone, barely hanging in there. Wufei was having trouble breathing and was coughing up blood from his lungs. Zechs was down to hand to hand suit combat and had a huge gash in his face bleeding like nuts. 

Duo was hit backward and his head hit the back of the suit again. He cried out in agony as it split and he started bleeding there. He couldn't do this anymore. DeathScythe went limp and his one good eye flickered dangerously. He stared up into space as blood pooled around his head. "So this will end it all, will it?" He grated out in labored gasps. "Well...DeathScythe.... Old buddy--it's been fun...quite a ride...I'd say" He coughed spewing blood into his hand. Suddenly he saw a blinding light-but it was spacey kind of. "Looks like this is it..." he muttered, misinterpreting the light. Unexpectedly his com-link blared to life and a familiar voice came onto it. 

"Duo Maxwell! Move your Gundam's metal ass and get away!" It said. "Don't you dare go dying on me, mister!"

Something clicked in his head and he sat up, ignoring the liquid crawling down his back, he looked up at the vision screen and his eyes widened. "Heero?" He hissed out as the large view of Wing Zero came into his sight. "No-it can't be possible...Heero's in the Sanq...then-who?"

The voice came back more irritated sounding. "MAXWELL! Move!! NOW!" It screamed.

Then it hit him. "Hilde?! Hilde what the hell are-"

"MOVE!" She screamed at him.

Suddenly finding strength he thought he didn't have at hearing her voice, he picked up the remains of his DeathScythe and ambled, clanking, out of the way. As soon as he had a large explosion ensued and he turned just in time to see the Wing Zero blow about seven White Fang suits to nothing as it hit a generator with its beam cannon. 

Hilde was in the Wing Zero! "Holy fuck!" He hissed as he watched her suddenly disappear fast as light and in her wake leave hundreds of suits in pieces. She went that fast as she helped out the rest of the Gundam pilots, blowing up hundreds of suits as she went, each pilot taking his time to figure out that Wing Zero had a new pilot in it. All the Gundams ambled backward teetering on what was left of their balance mechanisms and reaching the center leaning on one another. 

"Who was that?!" Wufei called over an incredibly scratchy link.

"Hilde..." Duo said stumped into pure amazement.

"You have to be kidding? That woman?!" Wufei hacked up more blood and heaved a heavy breath trying to regain control of his beaten lungs.

"Hey, she beat you up..." Trowa said wiping the blood dripping onto his lips.

"She is fantastic..." Zechs muttered. "Again, Yuy is right. Grah!" He punched his crumbling console. 

Noin took a shuddering breath. "Zechs...we're in the middle of a battle that is so close to taking our lives and your worried about whether or not a damn Gundam pilot is right and your wrong?!"

Zechs gritted his teeth and didn't answer.

"I'm completely empty! I've got nothing left..." Quatre said, letting his SandRock slump to the ground. 

"Don't sit out yet Q!" Hilde's voice came over the link from no where. Everyone looked around frantically. Wing Zero was above them again.

"Wing Zero!" Zechs said.

"Look, I know you are so close to being out-but I need you to keep fighting for a bit, work together! Can you do that?" Hilde asked as she aimed the rifle at another few suits headed for her comrades.

Duo, in all his pain, let a smile overtake his features. Maybe he was wrong for trying to make her stay out of this. They'd be dead twice over now if it weren't for her. His heart felt like bursting as her face came scratchily onto the vid-links. "Anything for you, babe," he said quietly. She smirked at him her green eyes now a blazing pink and she flicked him off. He laughed.

"All right then! Duo take the right flanks, Trowa take the ones behind, Zechs and Noin back those two up and Wufei-you take aerial troops and follow me as you go...Quatre-come with me, I'm going after the commander. And just to tell you-all White Fang's mobile suits' Achilles Heels are in the knees. Hit those and the whole suit will crumble." She smirked and cut off, taking Wing Zero and flying out over the White Fang troops still fighting with what was left of the Preventers and Sanq Special Forces.

"Hey, why didn't someone tell us that earlier?" Duo grumbled as he went and made for the knees of enemy suits.

"Because no one knew that, baka." Wufei said flying up to help the Sanq troops up there.

"Well how did she know?!" He complained, slowly following where she and Quatre had flown off.

"She was in the White Fang base for two years Maxwell, figure it out." Zechs said making uppercuts to knees of other suits.

"Grr..." He grumbled and kept up.

Hilde and Quatre flew as fast as their thrusters would take them. "Hilde-I'm getting a reading north-north-west....Lady Une's Gundam and the commander were fighting together."

"I see it Q." She said and reared off in the NNW direction.

~*~

"Bitch!" The commander's voice screamed out at Une as she flew back knocking a tree over in her suit.

"Watch your mouth young lady." Une said with a little menace hinted in it. "It's not proper for ladies so young to use such language."

The commander's icy eyes flared. "How dare you Lady Une! I run an army faction now! I'm not just a 'young lady' any more! I'm a commander...a colonel!" She dive-bombed Lady Une and knocked her Gundam twenty yards away, landing on it with the glaive poised just above the cockpit opening. "Quinze, Zechs, Dekim, none of them could handle it! So I took over, and I'm winning." She grinned maliciously as she brought down the glaive in one swift motion to take Lady Une out. 

"Oh no you don't!" Hilde's voice screamed over the link as it bashed into the Star Gundam knocking it off of Lady Une's mecha.

"AAHH!"

SandRock knelt by Lady Une. "Are you all right Lady?" He asked.

"Yes Mr. Winner, I'm fine...Who is that?" She indicated the Wing Zero. "Mr. Yuy certainly isn't in it!" 

Quatre turned to watch as Hilde battled with the Star Gundam. "It's Hilde Schibecker ma'am." He answered.

"Miss Hilde?! I would have never guessed! I personally saw her out of Oz after she helped out Duo Maxwell!" She said in disbelief.

"So I've heard, but things have happened Lady, its a long story. For now we have to help the others find us." Quatre said standing his SandRock up and turning so he could see down field to where the other Gundams were making their way toward the final battle.

"Ah, Hilde, my dear." The commander's voice said as the Star got up, regaining its balance. "Very clever, very clever, using Wing Zero. I suppose we killed poor Heero Yuy? Ne?" She asked the girl icily.

Hilde growled. "No, you nearly did though." 

"Ah, too bad. Would have made capturing the Sanq just this much easier." She smiled at Hilde. 

"Shut up wench!" Hilde screamed. "This battle isn't about Heero! It's not about the peace for the world, or winning the Colony's freedom back! This one is about me...You lying cock-whore..."

The rest of the Gundams arrived slowly, and what was left of the White Fang, Sanq Special Forces and Preventers arrived too, to watch the final showdown between Hilde and the White Fang commander. Everyone listened to the speech going on between the two, not daring to move. Quatre had turned back at the sound of the commander's voice. Something sounded awfully familiar about it.

"Et tu?" The commander said.

"You stole my life from me..." Hilde hissed. "Kidnapped me from my home, gave me a serum to turn me into the ultimate perfect soldier and in the process erased all my memories and my feelings just so you could win your stupid, fucking little war and prove you could rule. Well not anymore. I was told I was the best of your troops, because I was first and flawless-but not anymore. Your going down Dorothy Catalonia!"

All the Gundam pilots, Sanq Specials and the Preventers gasped at what Hilde had just said. Quatre's eyes grew intensely wide. "Dorothy?! Dorothy?! But she was kidnapped by White Fang! Two years a---go..." He stopped and put a hand to his mouth. "Oh god..."

Dorothy hissed in her Gundam. "Yes I was Quatre-dearest. But they offered me the world on a silver platter, how could I refuse? You and I are so different, I love war and you, you're all for pacifism, just like that Peacecraft woman! And she will die, along with her self-serving 'hero' and all the rest of you wanting peace!"

Hilde snarled. "Not going to happen Catalonia. I won't let it! I'm the best of the best soldiers here and I will not let you take away any of my friends' lives! You took mine and all these poor souls that are your ultimate soldiers-but that's all your going to get! You crazed lunatic..." 

"Hilde..." Duo and Trowa muttered under their breath.

Dorothy then started laughing hysterically. "You think you've won child? You think I'm outnumbered here and will meet my end at your hands? You are my creation Hilderine."

Her full name spoken by Dorothy sent Hilde into a rage. She went at Dorothy her eyes so pink they were nearly red, but not quite. Dorothy flew up to avoid the girl's attack, and landed behind her. "It's not so easy Hilderine my dear."

"Hil-der-ine?" Duo breathed. "Is that her real name?"

Suddenly a new voice came onto the airwaves, but a voice Trowa, Hilde, Dorothy and Duo recognized. "Yes, Mr. Maxwell, Hilderine is her real name. She is my daughter as Trowa and Heero are my sons. I made them long ago just before the war began, and they have grown into beautiful children, if I do say so myself." Rodney Lewis had appeared on the battlefield now, in a completely black Gundam that had been cloaked but was now showing itself for the combatants to see. "In fact, I'd say Hilderine here was the most successful creation I've had. Absolutely perfect, wouldn't you say? Though it's not good that she tries to kill her mother." 

"What?!" Wufei shouted. "The Catalonia woman is her mother?!"

"How is that possible?!" Quatre yelled.

"Simple genetics my boy." Lewis answered with a grin. "When Catalonia was a baby I took her cells and made Hilderine."

Everyone gasped. "And what about Trowa and Heero?" Zechs asked.

"Same way." He answered as he watched Hilde and Dorothy fight.

"Oh my god..." Noin mumbled.

Trowa who had stayed silent throughout this suddenly spoke up. "I say we help her." 

Duo grinned abruptly. "I thought no one would ever suggest it. Let's go!" He yelled at everyone and they all agreed advancing on the dueling duo. But Lewis stopped them again. 

"I wouldn't do that." He smirked evilly. 

"Why not? That's my girl over there!" Duo snarled.

"Dorothy, now is the time darling." Lewis said quietly.

"Yes." Dorothy responded with a hiss of insanity in her voice. "Heheheheh Hilderine, it's over."

Hilde was too enraged to notice or care what Dorothy had just said. The insanity side effect in the serum had over taken her and she was hell bent on killing Dorothy. Lewis simply grabbed Wing Zero and restrained it. Hilde went berserk but something clicked in Dorothy's hand and the Wing Zero suddenly went completely limp. The ultimate soldiers that had been watching cheered and everyone else gasped in fear.

"Hilde?! Hilde?! Are you ok babe? Speak to me! What did they do?!" Duo went nuts over the com-link.

Lewis let the majestic mobile suit fall to the ground and laughed at them. Trowa moved his HeavyArms closer and knelt beside Zero a calm "Hilde?" Snaking through his link. 

Dorothy grinned wide and she hissed a command. "Get up." HeavyArms stumbled back as inside the mecha in front of him Hilde's eyes snapped open, a swirling mix of lime green and pink. She sat back in the restraints on the seat and the Wing Gundam stood up obediently. Everyone gasped. Dorothy hissed out another command: "Pull out Zero's beam saber." Hilde's fingers moved deftly inside the cockpit of the Zero and in response the Gundam pried the beam saber from its hidden spot in its cuff and caught it, pointing it out at the Gundams. "Now kill them." Dorothy hissed and cackled low and evilly.

Hilde's eyes never blinked, her expression was one of total void as she advanced on the nearly broken Gundams in front of her. She leapt up and attacked Duo, as he was the first one her saber came across. He rolled out of the way and she went after him.

"Hilde! What are you doing?! You shouldn't be attacking us!" Duo yelled out over the link. But Hilde appeared not to hear him and went after him again. DeathScythe was already pretty much done for, but when her blow hit it, it was over. Duo could do nothing but abandon the Gundam as it exploded in front of the Wing Zero, and Hilde sat in it and stared unblinking and emotionless at the destruction she just caused. Duo got blown out of it and landed in a bloody heap some thirteen yards away. He was hurt even worse now, and lay on the ground and watched through heavy lidded eyes as the Wing Zero turned and began to attack the rest of the Gundams.

Duo's hair blew in the dead hot wind, a thousand things racing through his head as more blood pooled around him. His Hilde was going to kill them...he was going to die here because of her-no, not her, Dorothy,...Dorothy made her do this! Dorothy and Rodney Lewis! Duo painfully raised his head up, his vision becoming severely blurry as he did. He watched as Hilde attempted to kill the rest of the pilots, and he looked around the other way. He saw the Star Gundam standing idle in the field. He grinned as much as his face would allow and slowly he began to crawl toward it, leaving a bloody trail behind him. Dorothy was going to pay.

He came up to its foot and crawled up onto it, reserving all his strength as he climbed up the mainframe to get to the cockpit door where he knew the blonde bitch was. He tore open the hatch and looked in. Dorothy looked up at him and stopped the maniacal laughter she had been doing in one gasp as she stared at the bloodied Duo with the look of pure hatred on her face. "You! Get out! What the hell are you doing? How'd you get up here?!" She screamed at him.

He grinned at her his hair blowing in the hot wind. "Pure strength, now move over woman." He said in a death-like voice. She hissed and grabbed him with her sharp claw like nails and scratched at him, pushing him out but he held on and fought back. He managed to get a punch in and knocked her out cold. "Bitch..." He muttered and slid in beside her shoving her over. He left the cockpit door open and picked up the com-link. "Quatre," he said coldly over the link. "Come and get your woman."

Quatre snuffed a bit indignantly at the analogy Duo had made, but unsteadily his SandRock stood up and meandered toward the Star Gundam. He placed it's hand just below the cockpit, and Duo shoved the lemon blonde girl out onto it "Take her back to the Sanq Quatre, Sally might be able to fix her." Quatre nodded solemnly as he opened his hatch to take the girl into SandRock's cockpit, backing up again. Duo closed the hatch up again, returning to the com-link he opened up a clear channel to Wing Zero. "Hilde! Hilde Schibecker! Listen to me!"

Hilde's voice came over the link back to him, monotone, completely emotionless and flat. "Who are you?"

Duo was at a loss for words. "It's me, Duo, don't you remember?"

"I don't know any Duo." She said again, and continued to try and kill Quatre, who had heard Duo and took up his com-link.

"Hilde! Listen to us! We're your friends, remember?! Don't forget us again-please?" Quatre said.

Trowa and Wufei got the idea too, and picked up. "Hilde...you can't have forgotten already." Trowa said with a tinge of desperation. Hilde was his sister...

"Onna! You can't forget! How could you be so weak?" Wufei called out.

"Who are you people?!" She asked "I don't know any of you...all I know is that you have to die for the Colonies." She made another blow at Wufei this time, who tried to dodge but his leg got caught in the blast and was blown off. 

"Hilde! No! The war for the Colonies was over years ago! There's no reason to fight for that anymore! Dorothy was just controlling you! Remember, Hilde, please remember..." Duo was breaking.

"I don't know you." She answered with a flat finality. "You must die."

Rodney laughed. "There's no escaping this one Gundam pilots. She will not answer to any of you, she doesn't know you. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh..."

~*~Chap. 10 fin.~*~


	11. True Colors Shown, A Broken Mind and the...

Chapter Eleven: True Colors Shown, A Broken Mind and the Truth at Last

Heero sat up abruptly in the cot in the infirmary. Something was going wrong, and he knew it. He could feel it in his blood. It seemed to his mind; all traces of Hilde had vanished. He couldn't understand it, but some how his instincts told him he had to get out to that battlefield at any cost. And being a man of acting on emotions as well as primary instincts; he shot up and out of the infirmary like a bullet, racing as fast as he could along the cold marble hallways of the Sanq palace to the elevators to the Gundam hangers situated far below.

"I'm sorry Relena..." He mumbled as he hit the secret switch to the final Gundam far below where the rest usually took refuge. He entered in a skin tight black flight suit from the elevator, and took a few quick glance checks around the bay before proceeding to face the Gundam hidden in the dark shadows. "Hmm." He grabbed the guy-wire and pulled himself up to the cockpit door and opened it crawling inside. "Hold on everyone." He muttered and shoving the helmet on his head and strapping up the hatch closed on his form settling into the controls.

The engine roared to gigantic life for the second time, the eyes glowed a bright blue as they had before and the gigantic machine stood up on its massive titanium alloy legs. The computer screen inside glowed in front of Heero's deft fingers, little white numbers and words flew across the screen telling Heero all he needed to know. He nodded solemnly and set his eyes on the hanger door. It swung open with the loud creaking accompanied only by the rusty metal of unused gears. "Mission accepted." He said and the thrusters came online and he blew out of the hanger full thrust.

Relena woke with a start and reaching out a hand to feel the empty place beside her as she sat up. It hadn't been a dream...She was still on the cot in the infirmary. So where was Heero? She rolled off the cot and placed a robe over herself, when she heard a loud roar of a Gundam's engines. She gasped and ran to the closest window just in time to see the Gundam Hilde had last used blast out from under the palace and away toward the far off explosions marking the battle. She sighed and placed a hand against the glass, shaking her head. "Good luck, Heero..." She muttered as the mecha disappeared over the horizon.

He was at full velocity, but he felt like he wasn't getting anywhere. The landscape zoomed beneath the mecha's feet but he couldn't feel the movement of the machine. He wondered briefly if this Gundam had been completed and was safe to fight in, but it only lasted a moment because he was upon the battle scene like a bee to honey.

The scene before him was enough to choke him. He stopped dead in the air, though no one seemed to notice that a new machine had arrived. There was Wing Zero, in it Hilde, he knew, attacking and destroying the Sanq's forces. She had made quick work of the Gundams, which lay in straggling heaps of almost, scrap metal in Zero's wake. The mechanics were going to have a joyride with these fix-ups.

Heero scanned the area and gasped when he saw DeathScythe in much less then healthy pieces. Did this mean she had killed Duo? It couldn't be possible! What had gotten into her?! They had worked so hard on getting her memory back, what could have turned her against them now?

He spotted HeavyArms, trying desperately in vain to regain balance. Heero flipped on the com and his ears were suddenly filled with the voices of all the Gundam pilots begging Hilde to remember-Heero shook his head rapidly and swooped down kneeling beside the mortally damaged HeavyArms Gundam. "Trowa!" He yelled through the com. "Trowa what is going on here?"

Trowa's static filled voice came back through "He-Szzxt-o? What are-Szzxt-doing out here? Szzxt"

"Never mind!" He shot back, "What's happening? What's wrong with Hilde?"

"Heero?!" It was Quatre. "Heero why are you here?!"

"Reasons, Quatre! Now give me the low-down!"

Trowa worked at fixing the com-links reception and quickly responded. "It's Dorothy, Heero. And Lewis." Heero gasped. "They were behind this whole assault, and came back to kill Relena, take over the Sanq and collect Hilde. Dorothy had a device and it hit Hilde hard taking away all her memories again." Trowa explained.

Heero hissed low and darkly. "That bastard..."

"We have to save her, Heero!" Quatre called.

"We have to save ourselves first!" Wufei shouted out.

"No, you guys save yourselves. Heero and I must save Hilde at all costs." Trowa said. Heero eyed Trowa and kept silent. "She's our sister..." At this Heero let out another slight gasp. "I'll explain later, we have to get her memory back, or at least take the Wing Zero down! It's headed for the Sanq now!"

"I-I'm helping!" Duo's voice came on through the link.

"Duo! You're alive! I thought Hilde had killed you." Heero hissed.

Duo smirked, blood covering his broken face. "You have no faith! Nothing can kill Shinigami." He wiped his face on his sleeve. "That's my girl in that death machine of yours Heero, and I'm going to help save her, no buts about it."

Heero smirked slightly. "Have it your way, Shinigami. -The rest of you! Wufei, Quatre, Zechs, Noin, Lady Une, get away from here! Stop who and what you can of the White Fang," Heero paused noting the black suit standing against the flames, gleaming at him and mocking him. He took a deep breath and added, darkly, "and take him out too." He indicated the black suit with Rodney Lewis in it. "Leave the rest to us."

"Right." Une said through her broken connection. "Sanq forces! Move out! I'll take care of Lewis." A grin curled upon her features.

Lewis cackled lightly. "We'll see how you do against me, Colonel Une."

Une smirked.

Heero, Trowa and Duo watched as they left. Trowa turned to the other two. "All right, the best strategy in a fight such as this is for two of us take her down and the last tries to get her out. She's become a threat to us as well as herself now. No telling if she'll loose it and hit the self-detonation switch." The others nodded and headed out, leaving Une and Lewis to do battle.

Hilde wasn't in her right mind, and somewhere inside she knew it. But it seemed her mind could no longer control her actions, only a fierce insanity that kept a maniacal grin on her face and the voice of Lewis moved her limbs. Rodney-the bastard-She hated him with everything she had; it ate away at her mind, soul and body.

Other voices were invading too. Ones vaguely familiar but nothing close to recollection that she could surmise. They were yelling at her to remember. Remember what? There was nothing to remember, only that she had to destroy the Sanq and kill Queen Relena, then all would be well. But those voices! "KUSO!" She cursed holding her head. "SHUT UP!" The Wing Zero stopped dead in its tracks of moving it was less then ten meters from the entrance of the Sanq.

"Hilde-listen! You don't want to do this! Think of everyone!"

"Hilde...your one of us now and forever...don't let Lewis get to you."

"Dorothy and Lewis do not control you, stop, remember us, please."

"Quatre, Wufei, Sally, Noin, Zechs, Heero, Trowa, me! Think Hilde! Please, remember."

Those voices! Those names! This was too much. Her psyche broke down again. Thousands of images, sounds-feelings rushed through her mind. Invading her memory making it nearly impossible to see straight. The whole of a lifetime rushed between the spaces in her eyes. People, places, things, food, loves, hates, pains, dreams and ideals all wielded significant power in her head. She screamed. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

Suddenly Wing Zero was on the move again, and the pilot within was less sane then before as the side effects of the serum took effect and the Zero system accidentally kicked in. Her mind swimming with an over flow, her eyes widened and her mouth cracked open a bit, her irises became a halogen florescent pink with a gold rim; courtesy of the Zero system, all traces of the bright lime green gone.

"Shit, it's not working..." Trowa mumbled.

"Thanks for the update Trowa! I think we noticed!" Duo shot back.

"Hrnm..." Heero growled and reared off to confront Hilde from a different direction.

"Hey! Wait for us Heero! She's important to us too!" Duo called and followed Heero.

Hilde was wreaking havoc on the Sanq, destroying it and _any _mobile suit that got in her way. At this point she didn't give a damn what side it was for. She went along fast as lightning, slicing and shooting at every available target. A carrier flew up above the Sanq, Hilde put the thrusters on upon seeing it and shot up, lifting her beam cannon and taking aim. Once in range she opened fire and shot it down. As it fell she watched with a maniac gleam to her eye and began to laugh; low at first and then getting louder.

As the three Gundams tried again and again to confront Wing Zero and its pilot on safe terms, she blew half the Sanq to ashes and less then rubble. Women, children, men and elders ran crying, screaming and fearing as she tore through every building she saw. Then she spotted the Sanq palace.

Her strange grin grew a bit wider as she looked upon the majestic house sitting atop the relatively small hill in front of her. Wing Zero's feet turned from the penthouse its beam saber had been desecrating, and moved slowly to the palace gates, stepping on them to get there. Heero turned the black and red mecha. He was in just in time to catch her sudden rearrangement in attack. As Trowa and Duo were occupied with White Fang suits that had managed to get past and into the Sanq, Heero seemed to see Hilde move in slow motion. Finally he reacted.

"NO!" He screamed and all at once the thrusters of his Gundam blasted and he shot forward faster then light and grabbed Wing Zero's wrists before Hilde could manage to get any closer and pull the beam saber up for a strike.

"Hilde! Listen to me! Listen to me and only me, focus on my voice, and do not let anything interfere with my voice, ok? - Never mind the ok, just focus on what I'm saying-listen. You do not want to destroy the Sanq, you do not want Relena dead, and you are not part of White Fang! You are not our enemy! You are-my sister..." He tried desperately to talk Hilde into sense; it seemed to be weakening her resolve to destroy the Sanq palace, so he hoped.

Inside the cockpit of Zero One, Hilde was in utter pain and inner turmoil. These last words from this boy-who was he?!-Heero-He was Heero! She looked up slightly holding her head, which was now bleeding profusely and weakly, switched on her com-link. "H-Heero?" She asked tentively, her pain induced voice sounding pathetic over the channels and airwaves.

Heero heard her--and for the first time a full-size smile of relief cut through his face. "Hilde..." He breathed.

But the break didn't last long, for soon Hilde was thrown into a drawback and her head burst again with things, memories. She screamed again.

"Hilde?! Hilde! What's wrong? What's happened?" Heero sounded frantic. Duo and Trowa over heard this now that they had moved in closer after destroying the White Fang suits.

"Heero? -What? What's wrong? What happened to Hilde?! Why is she screaming like that?! What happened!" Duo hollered over his com-link, becoming hysterical.

"I don't know, Duo! Shut up so I can find out!" He spat back.

But it was too late. Wing Zero stumbled back, shoving away from Heero's suit, and it stood there as the pilot inside killed her voice. "I...I-I can't--deal with it!" They heard the shuddering last cry of Hilde's hoarse voice over the link.

"Deal with what Hilde?" Trowa asked, also sounding frenzied.

"Too--many--no! No more! I-can't...it hurts! Oh god it hurts!" Came her rough reply.

"What hurts?" Trowa asked again.

"I have to end it..." She gasped. "I know I caused all this...and I can't deal with this pain!" She hissed again and they all heard a click over the COM as she hit some button inside. Suddenly all around her red sirens and lights went off. All other lights turned off and she was bathed in a flashing red glow, as she huddled in her seat holding her head. "It has to end..."

"What?! Oh my god! No! Hilde hit the self-detonation switch!" Duo screamed out.

"Fuck!" Heero yelled.

"We have to get her out! And fast!" Trowa cried, backing up his beaten HeavyArms a safe distance and un-strapping as quickly as he could and within seconds he was leaping from his cockpit and running like the wind to the Wing Zero as it prepared to detonate, Duo and Heero close behind. Unfortunately they were to late in getting to the Wing Gundam. Just as they reached it exploded and the three boys were nearly blown back, shielding their eyes as the explosion blew past them sending heat and flames licking between their feet the force of it nearly pushing them down.

Duo moved his arm slightly opening one eye to survey what had happened. "Oh my god-Hilde!" He screamed and ran toward the molten mess of what was left of the mecha. Trowa and Heero drew their arms slowly down after Duo ran off and looked at each other quickly before breaking into a swift run and following Duo through the metal chaos.

As the boys searched for Hilde's possibly mangled and bloodied body, the battle was drawing to an end in the battlefield. Une was raptly fighting with Rodney, intertwining assaults and beam saber blows trying to get the upper hand of the battle. The Gundams had finished off the last of the White Fang suits and Zechs and Noin gave the command to go back to the Sanq.

"But what of Lady Une?" Quatre asked, still cradling Dorothy in the crook of his arm.

"She can take care of the rest herself; we do not have the energy or the health of the Gundams in our favor." Zechs said, preparing to put his thrusters on.

"Zechs is right guys; they are literally breaking to pieces as we sit in them. They need repairs, there's nothing left we can do here without loosing some vital parts." Noin concurred.

"And, don't you still have Dorothy Mr. Winner?" Zechs asked with a half smirk that no one could have seen.

Quatre mumbled something and Wufei just smirked. "I told you, Winner, that woman would be running White Fang. She may be insane, but she is strong, for an onna. But, I agree with Zechs and his woman..." Noin snorted indignantly. "We should head back, leave Une to her own destiny. She can decide her own integrity."

Quatre sighed half-heartedly. "All right, I suppose you're all right. Let's break off and head back. We did take an awful beating, and it appears all White Fang suits have been destroyed."

"I just hope they didn't have any time to call for reinforcements." Noin muttered.

"That was their reinforcements, Noin. We just fought and destroyed over two hundred and eighty suits. That, I would say, is quite an army." Zechs commented as they all began to trump back to the city, unknowing of the tragedy occurring there.

Une made a final swipe with her beam saber as Rodney's back was turned, that hit it. The weak spot in this Gundam turned out to be in its back. Une stepped back in her purple Taurus.

"AAGH!" Rodney screamed and started coughing. "You fight well, Lady Une...I'll give you that. -In fact, I fear I am beaten. You have hit the exterior detonation switch."

Une gasped. "Get out! Before it explodes, man!" But Rodney just chuckled.

"Get out and have you take me back as prisoner? To possibly try to extract the Ultimate soldier serum from my mind? I think not Lady. This serum will go with me, and since I am now defenseless and am at risk of being caught by the enemy...I will die instead." He laughed mechanically. "On top of that, the information is hidden in the secret base that you will never find."

"No you fool! I would no sooner let Dorothy die than you would; you are human too, are you not?! Save yourself!" Une tried to fight sense into him. He laughed again.

"Lady, Lady, Lady, too much compassion on the battlefield is not good. That is your weakness. Work on that. I have many followers, someone will take my place some day and continue the fight for the Colonies' freedom of the United Earth Sphere Alliance. This may not be over. I just have one last request before this Gundam explodes with me inside."

Une's mech took a cautious step forward. "And what is that?" She asked.

"Take care of my children well for me after I'm gone. Heero, Trowa, Dorothy and Hilde especially. My little perfect, perfect soldier...take care of them. Farewell my dear Lady Une!" And in saying these last words his Gundam totally imploded in on itself instead of outward, so it was quite evident he was not alive when Une took the chance to open her brown eyes and look again.

"Damn!" She breathed. "That bastard..." Her Taurus dug through the debris of the mecha but found nothing in it at all. "Gah! Either he really did die-or he escaped! -Hrrm...Well there is nothing to be done, we have won for now..." Her Taurus turned to face the destruction of the battlefield and the smoke and fire from the Sanq Kingdom. She sighed and her thrusters went off flying her back toward the city to make sure all was well.

All the Gundams were gathered around in a circle now, Relena and Sally were out of the palace and in the debris left by the Wing Zero. Everyone was searching for Hilde's body under any piece of scrap metal or concrete within the explosion's radius. Finally with a little help from Heero and Trowa, they lifted up the emerald green chest plate that had shattered in the explosion, under it in a scraggily heap lay a girl in a formfitting but harshly ripped and shredded black and gray flight suit, covered with blood. Her white hair was covered in ashes and caked with blood. No one could see her face as it was face down and her wild, long, white bangs were covering it up.

"Hil-Hilde!" Duo yelled and immediately dropped the breastplate and bent down to pick the girl's upper body up and cradled it in his arms and lap. Everyone had heard his strangled cry of her name and came rushing over to them. Duo took his own blood soaked fingers and brushed away the matted, tangled and disheveled bangs from her eyes, as her head lolled back in the crook of his arm. The girl let out a choked gasp for breath but didn't stir otherwise. "She's still alive!" Duo cried, happiness resounding, but that awful twinge of fear that she might not be so for long definitely and defiantly still ringing in his tone.

People breathed again, but no one moved an inch, they all stood stalk still as if one step in any direction might break her fragile thread of life and she'd be gone forever. Hilde coughed then, hard and heavy. She could barely breathe for nearly a minute as blood flew from her lips as she hacked. Duo looked frantic as he tried to calm her. When she fell back into his arm, her eyes flickered open, no longer a florescent pink, but back to lime green, but a dull lifeless like lime green, if that. "D-Duo?" She croaked, sounding so much worse then when she had nearly died two years ago on him after Libra.

"Hilde..." He managed, but he couldn't get any other words out. His emotions were raging about his head and his body could not determine which to use against her. All the words he wanted to say came rushing to his mouth, but seemed to stop just before his throat, getting stuck and taking a detour instead.

But she smiled at him, even though it was weak and somewhat forced, that knowing smile she had used on him so many times before White Fang, the smile that told him she knew what he was thinking. She tried to speak-but it came out in a sort of odd croak, sounding nothing like a voice at all. Still she tried. "Duo...I-remember now...I remember it all...My whole life before White Fang, Duo. I remember." There was a resounding gasp from the surrounding people. She ignored them all ultimately.

Duo finally found his voice, it too coming out as a sort of odd croak. "Do you? You remember _everything_?" She half nodded, but cringed and grunted slightly. Her neck was broken apparently. "Don't move! You'll make it worse!" Duo said to her in a harsh whisper.

"Shut up..." She muttered. She creaked her head to look at the people around her, even though it hurt. She saw whom she sought. "Heero.... Trowa..." She put out her gloved hands toward the two boys. Duo looked up at them. They carefully came forward and knelt by her, each taking her hand in their own. "I-I know now," she broke to cough hard, she came back gasping for air and her sentences were more broken now as she fought for air; "that you-- are my-si- siblings, brothers..." At this a slight gasp came from Relena, but she made no further action. "And I know, -t-too, that despite-- how weird it is, Dorothy-- is our true mother...but I don't know-- if I'll survive this-but-- it's ok, I'm surrounded by the people-- I love best and my friends. -- I just want you all to know I love--you and I'm so sorry for--everything."

Heero looked at her and tried all he could to bite back the tears that were forming in his Prussian blue eyes. Trowa made no facial action, but let his tears fall, quietly onto his true sister's hand as he watched her fight for air. She turned her paling face back to Duo whose eyes were completely shadowed as he shuddering with repressed tears. She smiled weakly at him again, and drew her hand up along his cheek, brushing away his bangs to reveal his water filled azure-violet irises peering at her. "Duo..." She whispered. "Don't cry for me...After all--the pain-- I've caused you...just let-me go..." Duo stared at her horrified.

"No, Hilde! NO!" He yelled at her and she cringed again at his loud voice, Heero looked sharply up at him. Then his tone softened significantly, as a sudden revelation came to him and he drooped his head in shame for not realizing it sooner, because now it was probably too late. "Hi-Hilde...I love you-I-I can't let you die. I had searched for you for two years blindly, not really thinking about why-but now I know, even if it may be too late, and-I finally found you again, and I am not letting you go! You have to live Hilde, if you can find it in your heart to love me in return, even after all I've done to you in the past weeks; scaring you out of your wits and such...I promise-" She stopped him in mid-sentence.

"Duo-" But he stopped her again.

"No! Think about the rest of us! Your newfound brothers...Relena, Sally, Zechs, Noin, Quatre, Wufei, Une! None of us want you to die...please, Hilde, live." He said nearly sobbing now, but not quite.

Relena took a step forward. "Yes, Miss Hilde. Live. Do not die and waste the rest of your life."

Noin took a stance "Yea, and this war was not your fault! You can't blame yourself for something you were forced into with no available choice."

"Plus the war is over now. We have won." Zechs stated quietly.

"Please Miss Hilde, do not die on us. We are all so young, and still have a full life ahead of us." Quatre added his two cents in.

Heero looked at his sister and sighed slightly. "Hilde, we have been Gundam pilots for going on four years now, we have to deal with the same things everyday...You can not use that excuse to die."

Trowa half nodded. "It would be unfit..." He said tersely.

Hilde was getting paler, but she half snorted a laugh at Trowa. "Maybe---so, " she breathed. "But I can't stop-- this now...I-I'm coming to my--last leg...I am going to die..."

Wufei growled halfway and took a meaningful step toward the girl. "Hilde, you are no weak woman. In fact I would say you are the strongest onna I have ever seen, that includes my dead wife Meiran..." He stopped speaking at the mention of his precious Nataku.

Sally came up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hilde, if your getting _that_ kind of praise from Wufei, then you know it's worth living it out."

Hilde smiled a very, very tiny smile. "I...am...loosing...my strength...but...if you all...want me...to live...I will...try..." She looked up at Duo then who looked back at her with intense eyes, her face was ghostly white and her lips were turning a slight shade of blue. "Duo..." She whispered. "I've always loved you, ever since the first day we met...remember that for me..."

Duo looked at her stunned, but quickly lost the surprised look as he leaned down and drew her cold lips to his. "Hilde..." He breathed her name into her mouth as if it would be her lifesaver and be her 'Breath of Life'. But alas, her arms went slack, and her breath ceased to come and her lips were suddenly as ice. Duo sat up abruptly. "Hilde? NO! Hilde wake up!" Trowa and Heero's eyes went wide and Sally jumped to her side.

"Move aside Duo!" She yelled and proceeded to give the girl mouth to mouth resuscitation. Everyone stood by ice still again, praying silently and watching hopefully as Sally worked to get her to breathe again.

All at once Hilde's breath was back, but Sally didn't stop there, instead she commanded everyone to help her move Hilde to the infirmary, she wasn't out of the woods yet, but there was still a chance to save her. "No one is going to die on my watch!" Sally yelled as they rushed Hilde to the Sanq's hospital wing.

Chap. 11 fin.


	12. Epilogue: It's All Better, or Is It?

Epilogue: It's All Better-Or Is It?

A week later the Sanq was in repair, and all construction was going quite well. The boys were all in bandages getting over the various wounds from the battle, as was Hilde. The Gundams were at this moment being repaired extensively and DeathScythe and Wing Zero rebuilt again. 

Sally had informed Duo that he could take Hilde home in a couple more weeks. Hilde was happy she'd finally get to go back home to L2 after nearly three long years of being away. However, Hilde would never mentally or physically be the same. Her demeanor was much more like her brothers', she was more distant and cold than she had been. Her hair was permanently white and her eyes forever the bright lime green shade they had bestowed on them two years ago. But no one seemed to care anymore. That was now just part of who Hilde was.

Duo would never be the same either. He was not quite as happy-go-lucky as he had been, and was now more protective of Hilde than ever, which of course made Hilde seethe, but for the most part all was well.

Dorothy was taken back to Arabia by Quatre, after learning she was Hilde, Trowa and Heero's actual mother and swearing by the gods to never again join a military faction led by a scientist. Quatre took her back in attempts to settle her incredibly distraught mind.

Zechs and Noin were awarded medals by Lady Une and became court officials in the Sanq, over ranking that of general in the military. Lady Une still ran the Preventers and never did find Rodney Lewis again. She would search for his base for years to come with no success. 

Relena went on governing the United Earth Sphere Alliance in a just manor, with Heero by her side ultimately. Heero had sworn to himself never to leave Relena in case something like what happened to his sister, Hilde, ever reoccurred and happened to her.

Trowa decided to move to L2 with Hilde, to keep a close eye on her and Duo, partially off of Heero's orders and partially off his own paternal feeling of protection for his younger sister. Sally and Wufei kept working for the Preventers of course, and were always the two sent off if Lady Une thought she had any leads on Rodney Lewis's base whereabouts. Even though it was never found.

Hilde was sitting up in bed with Duo, Heero, Trowa and Relena beside her. Duo had his arm around her and was whispering things in her ear; making her laugh and making Heero eye him suspiciously. He stopped and instead said out loud "I can't believe it, one week and we're going home. It'll be so good to see the garage again."

"Hmm..." Hilde said. "Did you ever fix that stove while I was gone, Duo? If not in that week we head back, you won't be getting any dinner." Everyone chuckled a little and Duo sweated a bit.

"Cathy and I will be moving to L2 shortly also." Trowa announced sipping hot chocolate.

Hilde eyed him. "Why?" She asked bluntly.

Trowa eyed her right back. "You are more like Heero." He responded, not answering her question. Heero smirked a little.

"Like sister like brother I suppose." Relena said shrugging.

"I'm her brother also, but she is more like Heero." Trowa pointed out. "And the last I knew, you are nothing like Milliardo." Relena blushed and Heero grinned a small grin.

Duo smiled jovially. "It doesn't matter, Jousan is still great all in herself."

"Thank you, Duo." Relena said sticking her nose in the air.

"Maybe I'm more like my mother." Hilde put in, shrugging with her hands.

"No one is more like...mother..." Heero said a little tensely.

"Dorothy has her own unique and scary style, Hilde; I hope you never come to have it." Relena said placing her hand on Hilde's.

"Hn...How brave of Heero to actually call that woman 'mother'." Trowa commented.

"It's what she is, even though I loathe the fact." Heero muttered.

"We all do Heero." Duo concurred. "It totally shocked us all when Lewis told us that."

"Don't mention that man's name." Hilde hissed.

"Sorry babe..." Duo said and cuddled her closer.

Sally came in then. "I'm sorry people, but you'll all have to leave now. Hilde needs her rest, and plenty of it before the big trip back home." 

"Aaaww...Can't I stay? I am her boyfriend." Duo whined a little. Relena laughed and Heero and Trowa eyed him warily.

"And we're her siblings, if _we_ can't stay, you can't stay either, Duo." Trowa said.

"Plus I do not trust you. If you lay a finger on her-omerai o koruso." Heero hissed threateningly.Everyone kind of laughed at that.

"All right, well I'll see ya later babe. Love you." Duo said and kissed her tenderly and made for the door.

Trowa saluted her with a quick one-line smile and a short "Love you, sis," and followed Duo out the door. Relena smiled at her nodded and got up to leave.

Heero waited a little bit then turned to her, and when Sally wasn't looking bent and kissed her forehead. "Good to have you back chiisai shisuta-chan." He said and left quickly. Hilde smiled and settled into her cot, and as Sally smirked at her and left as well she lay back and wondered about her future for the first time in a long, long time instead of her past. 

"I'm going to have one hell of a life ahead of me from now on..." She mumbled to herself as she drifted off to sleep.

~*~

Now, somewhere deep in the woods covered with snow and ice, a mangled face peered out from behind a tree. The twisted burnt body held a baby in it's arm, a baby with raven blue black hair and big cornflower blue eyes. The face twisted into a horrific grin, and a laugh shrill and evil-like filled the empty wood, and the baby's cry could be heard

before it faded completely and disappeared. 

The End; or is it?


End file.
